Still vs Moving | Organic vs Manmade | Time and Space
This semester has me gravitating towards ‘less waste’ and using recycled materials where possible. Sitting in a friends kitchen, listening while he complained about a recent project of his as a structural engineer / project manager. In particular he was discussing the construction waste due to designers trying to ‘re-invent the wheel’; resulting in mounds of excess materials ending up in the skip bin (not to mention building budgets being blown sky high and taxpayers money being flushed own the proverbial toilet), internal questions were raised around universities, makers and even the general public being more mindful of their own project materials and resources.
Can we collaborate with construction sites and project managers to source these perfectly intact byproducts of eccentric design? Thereby reducing rubbish while lessening the financial burden of sourcing new materials – sometimes for temporary installations that will add more waste to our environment. There are available resources if we as artists take the time to establish connections within our community, build relationships and perhaps offering trade of goods or services for these materials. In my case, I needed a pile of materials for this semesters project and instead of buying new 2×4 timber from the hardware store – I cooked dinner for my project manager friend.
‘The Bridge’ is a project that encompasses both the practicality of NOT re-inventing the wheel by using da Vinci’s self-supporting bridge, while I continue to critically think about Bridges as a concept during the making period. What makes a bridge? Does is need to be a physical construction that is climbed or conquered? What do bridges in our learned language represent? Architecture, new life, adventures, still, supporting, permanent but allowing for expansion and exploring. Inventive.
Bridge research – architectural, tensegrity and sculptural inspiration:
Waterview shared cycle path, Auckland 
Old coach road arch tunnel, Ohakune 
Old coach road bridge, Ohakune 
Red Paper Bridge by Steve Messam using vernacular architectural principles. 
Maya Lin – art and architecture 
Maya Lin Used 54,000 Marbles to Model the Chesapeake Bay using satellite imagery from NASA 
Tensegrity designs 
Kenneth Snelson tensegrity designs 
Friends instagram – liked how the furling flax took on a sculptural form 
Luciana Lamothe
100 Degrees, 2015
Luciana Lamothe
26 Layers, 2015
Bridges in nature 
Bridges as a means of supply (objects connecting and carrying) 
Imagination and childs play – forming relationships 
Communication bridges 
Scaffolding – construction and architecture
Bridge Construction:
popsicle prototype 
tension base support (not needed but leads into research around tensegrity design) 
further developments required to make a ‘safe’ walking / ridable bridge 
ready for woodshop 
Starting with the simple straight cuts for a lap join. Decided to cut both sides to allow for 18mm additional ply planks if desired. (cutting only one beam would make the plank too weak to support weight) 
Chiseling away to reveal the joins. 
Lots of cuts! 
Working out the angles for the ‘woven’ through planks. 
The angle needs to be flush without compromising the strength of the bridge. The design is to be self-supporting without the use of additional screws or glue. 
20 degrees seemed accurate. 
Cutting out the angles. 
Assembling the bridge solo was tricky (will try assembling on it’s side and flipping over next time) 
Joins are nice and flush. 
Ends/ legs will be cut shorter to reduce angle a bit. I decided against adding the 18mm ply planks as this means I would need to secure with fixtures over having a temporary structure that can be rebuilt over and over. Would like to extend this concept further of re-build and ‘building bridges’ within communities (interactive installation). 
Transporting the ‘puzzle’ back to my studio for further study and development.
What about building bridges within our communities? During lockdown 2.0 conversations around mental health were highlighted: people feeling isolated, depressed, bored. How can art establish connections and ‘bridge the social distancing gap’? Perhaps through collaborative works and reaching out to the wider community. Establishing trade as a form of payment: goods for other goods, services or koha. Dissecting trading as method in making.
Resources can be re-used or re-invented if time is taken to have these discussions, encourage communities to work together, donate, trade and actually speak to each other! A social construct that already dying from anti-social behaviours long before Coronavirus made us even socially distant).
Photo from @siobhan__lucia
I would like to learn more about what other artists and makers do to stay connected and see how I can incorporate these ideas into my own on-going practice. Unfortunately our future is not still or certain and there are no guarantees that I can continue my studio based practice to finish building a physical bridge. Each lockdown not only confining me physically but challenging my time, space and emotional capability to keep the creative momentum going. Adaptation becomes key to invent or re-invent the idea of Building Bridges.
Welding, 3D Printing and CAD Design (SolidWorks)
