Lamp Pole Project

2008-06-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

At the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, 60 decommissioned lamp poles are arranged in an expanding and curvaceous form spanning nearly 800 feet across the main entrance to the park. The installation will be exhibited for a period of four years, with the possibility of reconfiguring the work within that time span.

2008-06-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

There are several different arrangements based on a scatter/grouping format. Each possesses a different use of the orange blaze, and also utilizes a slight twisting of the tripod over the entire plot, repositioning the orange blaze at different angles.

Lefty orientation of the blaze leg. The subtle change would create a wall of orange, and a more controlled geometric pattern, resembling a cornfield.

Middle and forward orientation of the blaze leg. Hidden between the arch, and drawing attention to the twisting of the tripod, which spins the interior leg.

2008-03-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

In Alfred NY, Matt and Bland have completed a prototype test of the new tripod design for Stone Quarry Hill Art Park. The fabric was donated from Stern and Stern, a textile manufacturer in Hornell NY. The proposed design is shown below, with fabric covering one pole, and the installation spanning the main entrance of the park. This will activate the unique geometric patterns that the poles create when one passes through the sculpture in a car or on foot.

The installation will span roughly 500 feet, in a curvaceous and expanding formation, while the fabric will highlight the winds natural path through the park. For additional information regarding the park check out:

www.stonequarryhillartpark.org

2008-03-03T05:31:00.000-08:00

A new iteration is complete at a small sculpture park called the Sculpture Barn.

(http://www.sculpturebarn.com/SculptureField.htm)

A modular hardware system will enable us to experiment with many different configurations. The first iteration consumed 40 poles and took under an hour to setup. The plan is to push the configuration to test different spatial arrangements, determining the optimal setup. This is number one of ?

2008-01-22T18:01:00.000-08:00

A tentative schedule is developing for the 100 decommissioned lamp poles. After a brief meeting with Larry Fox, the head of Alfred State Physical Plant, the lamp poles are officially the property of All Creations. The first destination for 60 measuring 25' tall is the Sculpture Barn in New Fairfield CT. The rough conceptual form will push the subtle curve in two directions, perhaps plotting an 'S' curve that will create an interesting journey for the individual.

Additionally, All Creations will apply for the spring exhibition at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City. The exhibition is based on "interpretations and responses to the motivations, goals, realities, politics, and practices of recycling. This will be an expansive exhibition encompassing many perspectives about the concepts and methodologies of adaptive re-use, and will include projects that address the creative transformation of the by-products of production and consumption..."

Both the large and small sculptures will be proposed, however due to the scale of the park All Creations intends on experimenting with dense and tight forms as to not cover the entire field.

On the horizon is a proposal to the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia NY. On a whim, Matt and I took a trip to visit the park, and were pleasantly surprised to find the parks administrators still at work, awaiting an evening meeting. After a chat and look around the building we delved into developing ideas for a proposal.

Lastly, we envision an installation at Art Omi in a year's time, and then perhaps we will approach Pepsi Co. for a temporary exhibit on their grounds. Another option is moving south for the winter in search of warmer weather.

All Creations

2008-01-22T17:59:00.001-08:00

Matter In Time
24’ Tall, 40’ Wide, 240’ Long
May 2007
Alfred NY
60 decommissioned lamp poles, phosphorescent strips, fabricated hinges, stainless steel cable, hardware, and stadium lighting.

The poles were charged at dusk with stadium lights. After complete darkness ensued, the lights were extinguished to reveal a glowing mass of lines hanging in the air. USR Optonix provided the phosphorescent pigment, while Suncor Stainless donated the cable that enabled the sculpture to stretch 240' across a football field. The installation was exhibited for 2 weeks.

2007-07-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

The history of two sculptures is listed below in text and photo format. The short story goes like this: Bland Hoke and Matt Rink asked Alfred State University if they could borrow 60-70 decommissioned lamp poles to create art with. The poles were rusty and forgotten, and soon they were arranged in an artistic fashion. The last year at Alfred University was filled with work, and when all was said and done, 100 lamp poles were left in a compact stack. The poles are ready for action in another location, which has yet to be determined...

'Larry Fox' is constructed using 40 recycled lamp poles, welded together to create a sculpture reminiscent of crashing waves, or perhaps simple mathematics. The beauty is in its ambiguity.

Matter In Time is constructed using 60 lamp poles measuring 25 feet tall. The lamp poles have phosphorescent strips affixed to them, which were charged by stadium lights. When the lights went out, the lamp poles lit up, a 'True Blue' color.

2007-06-15T05:17:00.000-07:00

The installation pictured below is constructed from lamp poles acquired from Alfred State College. Larry Fox, director of the ASC Physical Plant, loaned 60 lamp poles to Bland Hoke and Matt Rink to utilize for a sculpture. Matt and Bland developed the idea for the installation from models and small scale tests using 15 foot tall lamp poles.

The sculpture was plotted with Auto-CAD to determine the spacing of the bases. Bland and Matt translated the measurments using surveying techniques to physically plot the foot-print of the installation. The lamp poles were then arrayed on the ground. Bland and Matt developed a hinge system for the apex of each arch that connects the two poles together using the existing bolt pattern of the lamp pole. Two stainless steel 1/4" cables run the entire length (provided by Suncor Stainless), and attach to each arch using 8 5/16" bolts rated at grade 8. Each individual arch is righted using a winch attached to a Jeep until it is perfectly plumb. This ensures that there is no force acting on the anchor points. The sculpture is anchored using 5 foot long 1" diameter stakes driven in at a 45 degree angle that connect to balvanized turnbuckes to hold the installaiton static. In addition, rebar was driven into the bolt pattern of each lamp pole base to ensure the foot would not kick out.

The objective of the first installation was to test the engineering of the structure. The installation withstood winds of 64 mph, and exposure to the elements for 3 weeks. No visible sign of stress or structural instability were detected during its duration. The deconstruction went smoothly over a period of two days.

The goals for the project are to continue setting up the lamp poles in sculpture competitions to gain experience in the public art realm. Matt and Bland are proficient in moving and installing the sculpture in a short period of time. 30 arches have been raised in under 12 hours.

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2007-05-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

In twelve hours, six tons of lamp poles were erected. The resulting sculpture was charged with light. After the lights were extinguished the P-170 Pigment produced by USR Optonix glowed brightly, revealing a mass of lines hanging in the air.

Photo by Sarah Bader

From the road, the light sculpture was incredibly potent. It stopped many motorists, and at the grand opening the event drew approximately 250 viewers that made a mass exodus through the arches after the lights were shut off. This can be seen above as the giant blurry mass amidst the arches.

2007-04-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Physical progress. 30 hinges have been installed on the poles. 60 dots are arrayed on the field. The project is progressing.

Its remarkable how small and connected the world is. I was discussing a method of plotting the installation with a professor. Jamie Carestio, a fellow student and friend overheard the discussion. His father surveys professionally, and five days later we were plotting the sculpture with the help of Barry Carestio.

Out came the equipment, and we were off to the races, jamming through coordinates for base placement.

After the big push we all enjoyed a quick hammock break on the smaller lamp pole sculpture. I think there might be a market for outlandish and over the top hammock stands...just maybe.

2007-04-21T23:57:00.001-07:00

40 Lamp poles have plopped. The sculpture was constructed efficiently in under 15 hours. Thats very nice. Wasting time is not an option.

In the grand scheme of things, we caught these poles at the perfect time, between usable and unusable. A gray area where stuff is free because its is still in condition, and should be put to some use. They are like a fine wine for art purposes, aged to perfection. Pragmatism is paramount.

2007-04-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

The lamp poles have begun their journey to Alfred. They have landed on Tucker Field in stacks of 10. The location is ideal, and presents many benefits over the previous site. The ground is flat and mowed, there is electricity, and the field is lit at night for a longer window of work-time.

We have learned from the past, and this time we created pole moving carts to truck the 200 lb poles around with.

The move took one day, and my shoulders are sore. Moving 6 tons of material is the most mundane manual labor, but we were lucky enough to catch a day of sunshine amidst a nor'easter that just dumped 6 inches of snow today...

Additionally, I have finished extruding the phosphorescent material to apply to the sculpture. There is close to 500 feet of 9 inch wide sheet. I have not calculated the exact length, but once I have this number I will easily be able to determine the sizing of the individual strips that will be applied to each pole to make it glow.

2007-04-08T05:10:00.000-07:00

I am moving forward with the phosphorescent pigment provided by USR Optonix (www.usro.com). It will be suspended in a donation of gel medium from the Golden Paint seconds division.

I have developed a mixture of 22% phosphorescent pigment to gel medium, with the addition of water to add fluidity, and nylon fibers to add strength to the final material. The reflective quality of the nylon fibers may contribute to enhanced luminosity in the final sheet material. The mixture is extruded from a contraption I built, at a width of 9" and a thickness of three layers of duct tape.

From initial tests, this thickness will roughly produce 350 feet of material to work with. I recently cast the wax models of the lamp poles in bronze, and made a test model using a test batch of the final mixture to see the results. The P-170 'True Blue' phosphorescent pigment is truly amazing, and glows a beautiful neon blue.

The next step is to finish pulling the sheet material. I have processed roughly 3/5 of the total material successfully, and anticipate to finish soon. I will then determine the final shaping, sizing and arrangement of the strips and start cutting. The strips will be applied to the poles either with spray adhesive or clear packing tape. The goal is to ensure the reusability of the material, so it will become a gift that will keep on giving.

2007-03-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

The compound subtle curve in two directions describes a slightly different visual effect. The curve displays the angle of the pole accurately and subdues the tent or viking-like appearance of the strait sculpture.

Here is the S shape. Matt and I are leaning towards an open and closed end on a subtle curve, working with the landscape instead of working within a football field. There is interesting graded slopes surrounding half of the field. These will be optimal seating.

2007-03-10T11:26:00.000-08:00

Matt Rink and I have been working in collaboration for the duration of our senior year at Alfred University. Matt works predominately in figurative sculpture, combining cast metal body parts such as feet, hands or heads with forged clothing. The result is an astounding combination of processes that conveys the figure in a well crafted manner. I have been interested in working with cast away or neglected materials, and using art as a way to breathe new life into these overlooked and forgotten materials. An abundant supply of decommissioned lamp poles have served my artistic interests for this year.

The proposal below is a culmination of Matt and my efforts for our senior show. There will be four life-sized figures located throughout the lamp pole sculpture. In the interior space, we will display artistic prints of the pictures found on a previous post of this blog. They are printed using water-soluble ink, and are reworked into original water-colored prints. Additionally, we will display video documentation of the process of erecting the lamp pole sculpture and perhaps even sell books commemorating the installation, and collaborative effort.

Matt and I will be casting custom hardware to hold the 40 lamp poles, measuring 15 feet tall, static so viewers will be able to walk throughout the sculpture. We both took a CAD class, and were intending on developing a part to be rapid-prototyped for the purpose of casting multiples, however we may take a low-tech approach and make a precise wax part that will be molded and cast in iron.

In addition to this proposal, Matt and I will be erecting a large scale iteration of the project pictured below on this website. The first iteration of the sculpture, using 60 lamp poles measuring 25 feet tall, was 120 feet long, 37 feet wide, 24 feet tall at the highest point and 17 feet tall at the lowest point. We plan to push the envelope and enlarge the sculpture to 250 feet long, and 40 feet wide, which will drop the lowest point to 15 feet. This will accent the subtle curve that the apex of the arches describes.

The final capstone for the project will be the re-lighting of the lamp poles in the night with the addition of 'True Blue' P170 phosphorescent pigment provided by USR Optonix (http://www.usro.com/). A long triangular strip of True Blue will originate at the apex of each pole an taper towards the ground. At the beginning and end of the sculpture the strips will be shortest, and at the middle of the sculpture the triangles will extend to 7 feet above the ground. They lengths will be calculated according to a subtle curve, perhaps using the measurements that plot the base of each pole. The end result will be a precise, floating, glowing mass of lines that hover in mid air during the night time, viewable from an elevated highway, and from the field below. Viva la luz!

2007-02-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

The next step:

We have received a preliminary test batch of Phosphorescent Pigment 'True Blue' P170 from USR Optonix Inc. This company is interested in sponsoring the Lamp Pole project with a donation of P170 to make the poles glow once more. The idea is to use a donation of Gel medium from Golden Paint as the vehicle for the pigment, and paint a simple stripe, or shape on each pole. If the sculpture is installed on Merrel Field, we will charge the pigment with the large array of lights, and then the magic happens after the lights go out. Imagine an array of glowing blue lines that take the place of the sculpture, describing another geometry through the glowing design.

The pigment is also a measure of safety for the night time. It glows for almost 10 hours, so passerby's will be cognizant of the 6 ton sculpture. Density tests will soon follow this post to determine the correct amount of pigment to gel medium mixture.

2006-05-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

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