Model of Tsuru, commissioned for the new Ralph M Carr Judicial Center in Denver

We’re celebrating at the wowhaus studio after winning the public art commission for the courtyard of the new Ralph M Carr Colorado Judicial Center in Denver. We worked especially hard for this one, and the concept and presentation evolved collaboratively through a process Ene and I have honed over years of trial and error. We’re especially excited about the prospect of making another monumental sculpture to be cast in bronze and integrated into the landscape, where it will be accessible to the public and contribute to the daily lives of the people who work in the building.

Tsuru features a slightly larger than life bronze inspired by the Whooping Crane

Here is the text Ene wrote to accompany our presentation:

TSURU

“Conscience is the chamber of justice” – Origen

This artwork takes its inspiration from the crane, an ancient symbol of justice, peace, independence, and wisdom in many cultures. Among some Native Americans, this majestic bird was revered as an emblem of justice and intelligence.  For the Japanese, the crane (“tsuru”)  became a symbol of world peace in World War II as a Japanese girl tried to stave off leukemia caused by the bombing of Hiroshima by making 1,000 paper cranes. Sandhill cranes play a role in the local ecosystem, migrating annually through the Denver environs; many eagerly anticipate their seasonal arrival.

The crane embodies the independence and moral courage Ralph Carr brought to bear in resisting the internment of the Japanese during World War II.  The sculpture depicts a crane in flight, wings outstretched in a delicate state of balance, the stance echoing our quest for balance and equilibrium in the pursuit of justice.  Finally, the sculpture has additional symbolism: the Whooping Crane, the only other crane in North America, is an endangered species, protected by the laws of the land. In this way, the artwork embodies the vital role that the legal system plays in protecting not only our citizens but the fragile ecosystems of our earth as well.

The focal point of the courtyard will be a bronze sculpture of a Whooping Crane rising in flight. This graceful form, feathered wings outstretched to a span of 8’, will be sited on a rise of native Bluestem grasses toward the rear of the lawn, with a total height of 8’.

The sculpture will be framed by a circle of granite stone elements radiating in a 4’ wide ring around the piece.  Each of the cardinal points of the compass will be etched into the stone, orienting the viewer to their place in the landscape, just as the law orients and guides those seeking justice.  The granite used to create this feature was reclaimed from the Justice Center Building that was demolished to make way for the new building.  The artful repurposing of this material embodies an ethos of environmental responsibility; it also links the artwork aesthetically to the pavements surrounding the space, which is created from the same granite. Etched in the stone will be the phrase  “Conscience is the chamber of justice.”,  a quotation from the ancient Greek Origen.

Flanking the sculpture will be a series of four elegant sculptural granite benches, also cut from the repurposed granite, laminated to form a solid mass of stone.  Measuring  30”l x 18” h x 16” deep, these curved seating elements, which provide a place for respite and reflection,  echo the abstract form of a crane with wings outstretched.

Tagged: contemporary art, public art, Ralph M Carr Colorado Judicial Center, scott Constable, sculpture, wowhaus

My 1/6 scale model of the humpback whale tail for our ‘Fluke’ project

The arrival of spring typically finds Ene and myself juggling proposals, installations and fabrication at the wowhaus studio, having spent the rainy months laying the groundwork for new production in public sculpture, furniture and product design. We’re particularly excited about a new commission from the City of Santa Cruz to create a public project for the new NOAA Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center. We proposed making a full scale whale tail to be cast in bronze and sited at the new building’s entryway courtyard, for which we also designed a colorful hardscape. Based on the stylized tail of a diving humpback whale, the sculpture is called ‘Fluke’ and will be approximately 13′ long and 3.5′ high.

rendering of ‘Fluke’, showing the hardscape (illustration by Chemisa Kellogg)

I carved a 1/6 scale model of the sculpture, which is now being scanned by Scansite in West Marin County, one of the world’s most reputable 3d scanning services. A full scale 3d model will then be CNC cut in foam, which we will texture with plaster before molds are made and it is cast in bronze by Berkeley’s Artworks Foundry. I carved the model from old growth coast redwood and Alaskan yellow cedar, both species native to the Pacific Coast where the humpback whale makes its annual migration. The tight grain allowed me to cut precise, symmetrical  contours by eye using tiny spokeshaves, the grain’s pattern changing subtly enough with each shaving to match the two sides. I would occasionally rub the model with wood ash to expose slight imperfections.

Our ‘Watershed Creek Marker’ project is being installed at 5 sites in Oakland (photo: Ken Katz)

(photo: Ken Katz)

Meanwhile, Ene has been working with a construction crew in Oakland, installing the cast bronze stepping stones for our ‘Watershed Creek Marker’ project at five sites throughout the City. To read more about the development of this public art project, click here and scroll down.

research for the visual identity of SHED, a project in development in Healdsburg

I’ve also been working closely with Cindy Daniel, Doug Lipton, and Mark Jensen Architects, designing furnishings and consulting on the visual identity and material culture for SHED, an innovative new concept combining local food, food and garden-related retail, and community gathering under one roof. The project will soon be under construction in Healdsburg, CA, and I’ve thus far designed and prototyped three new chairs, several built-in seating and retail display units, and two types of table, one of which has a stacking base and easily disassembles for storage. I will post more as this project takes shape. Meanwhile, please click here to follow earlier posts.

prototype of my shed stool concept, which can be modified for use as an indoor/outdoor cafe chair

Tagged: chair design, deep craft, furniture design, innovation, Jensen Architects, Oakland, public art, scott Constable, Shed, visual identity, watershed marker, wowhaus

“The Gust”, Willem van de Velde, 1680

The bad news is that we had to cancel our final voyage as planned, due to a foul weather forecast and the state of completion of the students’ watercraft projects. The good news is that we’ve agreed to complete all vessels for a March 19 launching, the first day of the Spring Break, aligning us with a full moon, rising at 7:33 PM, just as the sun is setting. Also, the tides will be in sync with the direction of our journeys to and fro, with a 6.1′ high tide just as the moon is at its zenith around midnight. Should be a dramatic occasion.

Meanwhile, several of the students are nearly finished with their projects, particularly the SUP’s and folding dinghies. Grace has been making wonderful progress with her portable catamaran and has proven to be a remarkably capable builder. The delay in our plans will allow the students to be more thorough in detailing their vessels, with more time to make float tests and the inevitable adjustments obviated thereof. I remain confident in the group’s ability, enthusiasm and motivation to carry on, and am proud of all they’ve accomplished over the fall semester as part of my CCA Studio:Atelier, Micro-Expedition. Here are some highlights of progress made over the past two weeks: Continue Reading »

Tagged: boat building, cca, deep craft, folding dinghy, innovation, longboard, scott Constable, SUP, woodworking

I photographed my new Deep Deck overlooking Tomales Bay on my way to SFMOMA

I delivered the first in a series of Deep Deck skateboards to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art yesterday, where they will be on display as part of Stephanie Syjoco’s Shadowshop project, opening on Novemver 20 through May 1, 2011. Below are a montage of images and text that will be displayed alongside the Deep Deck, which I will be custom making to order for the duration of the exhibition:

The Deep Deck is the first in a line of bioregional products by Deep Craft, a hybrid brand-movement-ethos developed by artist/designer Scott Constable.

The Deep Deck concept emerged from Constable’s diversified efforts to create a regional vernacular of sustainability, tapping the unique physical and cultural geography of the Sonoma Coast and San Francisco Bay bioregions. Studio investigations and field research are archived on Constable’s deepcraft.org site, culminating in his ongoing Deep Craft manifesto.

Each Deep Deck is handcrafted according to an individual’s bodytype and riding style, utilizing unique native Californian hardwoods culled from ‘horticultural salvage’.

For Shadowshop, the Deep Deck is being produced as a limited edition, numbered series in American Elm (ulmus Americana) with wood milled from a cache of reclaimed street trees characteristic of the urban forest. Styled after the classic longboard borrowed from surf culture, Deep Deck is designed mainly for cruising and transportation, but is well suited to carving a gentle country slope, or simply hanging on a wall. To discuss a commission, please contact Scott directly at scott@deepcraft.org.

Tagged: contemporary art, deep craft, green design, innovation, longboard, scott Constable, sfmoma, shadowshop, skateboard, sonoma coast, stephanie syjuco

Jack and Willey broke out the hand planes to joint a long stringer of Sitka spruce

The boats are shaping up and the students are getting fired up for our journey next month. Here’s a little gallery from the past two weeks of Micro-Expedition, the Atelier Studio I am teaching this semester at CCA as the Wornick Distinguished Visiting Professor of Wood Arts: Continue Reading »

Tagged: appropriate technology, boat building, cca, deep craft, DIY, furniture design, invention, longboard, scott Constable, woodworking

My Shed Chair concept was inspired by fences built by local frugal farmers

I’ve been paying particularly close attention to the vernacular forms of Sonoma County’s family scale agriculture- the fences, coops, crates and outbuildings associated with our region’s numerous orchards, ranches and vineyards. My friend Cindy Daniel is in the process of realizing an innovative, hybrid retail/cafe/event space in Healdsburg called Shed, for which she has commissioned me to design furnishings.

I’m truly inspired by her vision for an energy efficient, two-story, seasonally open-air building sited along Foss Creek, housing a ground floor garden center, deli, community ‘larder’, cafe, and upstairs restaurant and space for events and performance. Shed will be a modern interpretation of the time-honored General Store or Grange, featuring the artisanal foods, goods and services of local purveyors. The building, an ultra efficient pre-engineered metal structure is designed by Mark Jensen of Jensen Architects in San Francisco. I’m honored to be working closely with such a visionary team, and have been enjoying developing a language for the furnishings that resonates with Cindy’s sophisticated take on Sonoma County living, and bridges the high modernist utilitarianism of Jensen’s building.

1/4 scale model of a dining chair and table concept I’m developing for Shed.

The major challenge of designing furnishings that range from retail display to dining has been in inventing a structure system that allows for low cost flexibility, durability and variability, while telling a story and making a memorable, unique experience. The furnishings need to reinforce the Shed ‘brand’. As I research ready-made systems to appropriate for retail display, I’ve begun to experiment with chair and table concepts, knowing that it will be easier to have these inform, rather than be informed by, the look/feel of the ready-mades. The dining furniture is sure to evolve, but I like the basic idea of a chair that stacks into a sculptural column when stored in the space, and a table that transforms into a low, Japanese style version, using the chair’s cushions for seating.

The upper portion of the Shed Table concept converts to a low version, using the chair’s cushions for a more ‘Eastern’ dining experience.

Tagged: aesthetics, chair design, Cindy Daniel, deep craft, furniture design, innovation, Jensen Architects, scott Constable, Shed, watershed

Jack and Willey made a lightweight building jig for their shallow kayaks

We’re at our half-way point in the semester and the majority of the class are on track to complete their projects with time to spare before we make our voyage just before the winter solstice. Everyone was fully focused and hard at work in the benchroom during our last 6 hour session, and the mood remains productive, light-hearted and cooperative. It actually works out well that some students are a little further along because they are able to give a leg up to the students who need it. To keep spirits high, I brought bagels and cream cheese for the students, who quietly munched as we started things off with the first of a series of discussions about Expedition logistics. I plan to make this a regular practice.

Luke and Susan laminating scarf joints on their kayak panels

bamboo fiber cloth is stretched over the scarf seams before resin is applied

Peter has the backbone nearly set up for his ‘Deadrise SUP’

To follow the progress of Micro-Expedition, the Atelier Studio I am teaching this semester as Visiting Wornick Professor of Wood Arts at California College of the Arts (CCA), please click here and scroll down.

Tagged: boat building, cca, deep craft, furniture design, invention, longboard, scott Constable, woodworking