Flying sticks

Quietly recovering from the extraordinary experience of building a large installation sculpture in under two weeks. A few months ago I was approached to make a work for Natuurkunst Drenthe, I had put in an application the year before and due to funding problems it did not go through and suddenly this year the project was on. It turned out to be a really busy time for me: a group show opening in Padua, Italy, another group one in New York and this sculpture. (Prior to departure for Drenthe I spent several days packing artwork for shipping).

The theme was "borders" and the work was to be site specific using forest materials. It was a project jointly supported by Stadsbos Beheer in the forest of Schoonoord which enabled me to use the local materials and my thanks go to Stadsbos beheer particularly Bernard who helped me source wood. My work is called the "Flying Wall". It is the simplest form of border, the fence division. It recalls earlier wattle and daub architecture. I wanted to show both fixed rigid borders and the fluid nature of these borders, demarcation lines change.

Rear view of "Flying Wall" during installation, photograph: Jantje Tijmes

Early morning light on installation

 The piece is made using American Oak, a non-native species chosen originally for its ability to act as a filler in the woodland but now growing rampant and is regularly pruned back. The oak sticks are tied to rubber cord that gives the piece its flexibility and allows it to bow under the weight while maintaining the wall shape.

"Flying Wall" note ground cover of American Oak saplings

 

Detail and already intergrating into woodlands so much that spiders are starting to spin webs within it.

The tallest point (approximately 6 metres above ground) the fence continues around the trees

The exhibition will continue until the beginning of January 2012. I want to go back and see how it weathers in snow. It is intended to be on show for six months and the designed lifespan of this is approximately 2 years.

Thanks are due to many people and organisations, I'd particularly like to thank Natuurkunst Drenthe, my sponsor Derby Rubber Products Europe BV for the rubber tubing and tie cord, my first assistant Jantje Tijmes for helping tie many of the sticks and for her help when I had an accident during the construction. Thanks too Stephen Sheppard for his invaluable help chopping and preparing the sticks and installing the highest section of the piece also to Lucas and Gerda Tijmes who also helped in this project and Dick Lubbersen who brought a ladder and his help exactly when it was needed. Best wishes to my fellow artists on this project whose company made this project all the more interesting.