glass is ready

glass for the greenwood fire station artwork is ready to go.  we will be installing next week, depending on weather.  each piece of glass is 2" thick, weighing approximately 250 lbs.  the hole in the center accommodates the steel support pipe for the artwork and allows the LEDs to shine through the glass to the outside edge.

logo glass in the house!

 

from the phinneywood blog.

CENTER SPLINE INSTALLATION

Click here to see what the finished sculpture will look like. 

the structural support for the greenwood fire station is now in place.  here's a look at the installation process:

the pipe is 6" diam. galvanized steel.  it is approx. 14 ft. tall.  the holes are where the LEDs will be located, corresponding to the glass sections where light will shine through.

the top of the pipe is fitted with a stainless steel cap which will keep the artwork watertight and house the controller for the lights.

steve twedt from apex metal fabrication handles the installation.

checking the levels.

final placement.

THE PROCESS

Click here to see what the finished sculpture will look like.

Stone #1 - first section being cut with the wire saw.

Stone #1 - second section being cut with the wire saw.

Stone sections being bored with 8" dia. drill.

Stone section with core removed.

Stacking sections #1-4 (10 sections total) with Jason Clauson from Seattle Solstice Stone.

Tracing templates for the glass sections.

The boulder ends will be donated to a local skatepark.

Sections #1-10 sawn, cored, and stacked.

LIGHTING TESTS

These images show the glass sections that will be placed between the stone sections.  When the station is "quiet", the glass will glow blue/green.  When there is an emergency, the glass will change to red/orange.

prototype

Last month, Jason Clauson (Solstice Stone) and I did a run-through of how the glass and stone will stack together.  A prototype piece of glass was provided by Peter David Studio and we set this together with a sliced boulder similar to the ones that will be used for the final sculpture.  

Conceptual Approach

TIME DILATION
When seconds become minutes in times of crisis

ORDER & CHAOS
Calming charged situations
Hours of preparation for quick response

CUT & FLOW
When crisis interrupts the rhythm of daily life
The relationship between stability and fragility


Creating artwork for Greenwood’s neighborhood fire station is a rare chance to integrate artistic expression with one of the city’s most popular “working” landmarks and reach a community that cares deeply about the place where they live.

In moments of crisis and times of peace, fire stations are beacons of safety embedded in our urban infrastructure. This sculpture is inspired by the multi-layered processes of fire fighting and aid response, with an emphasis on how crisis changes our relationship to space and time.

Continuous stones are "interrupted" by glass sections to illustrate the relationship between stability and fragility when crisis occurs.  Glass is illuminated from within with blue/green LEDs, representing oxygen. Color transitions to red/yellow when the station alarm system is triggered.  Raw boulders are drilled, honed and stacked as a nod towards the hours of preparation required for fire fighters to respond quickly.  Glass elements are spaced wide at bottom and narrow at top to illustrate the dilation of time during moments of crisis.

As a whole, this work will serve as a significant landmark and welcoming beacon for station visitors and the surrounding community, utilizing locally quarries and fabricators in support of the LEEDs certification goals of the project.