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ou8nrtist2 — Vertebrae Conference Table
Published: 2009-01-06 22:27:33 +0000 UTC; Views: 16631; Favourites: 112; Downloads: 435
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I feel like I've just given birth,LOL,though the gestation period was rather short (two weeks).Some great new clients in L.A. who run a studio called"Almost Human",that make monsters and other animatronic devices for movies and television commissioned me to make a heavy industrial conference table with "some added attraction",but they also needed it by the 9th for some important meeting...
After frenetic email exchanges,I persuaded them that what they needed was an organic feature to really make this piece memorable. The model was a gray whale vertebrae. The parts for the spine are mostly forged with the trip hammer,and each individual vertebrae slides over a square tube that was rolled to an appropriate arch so that in the end use the "wing sections" of these vertebrae will not obstruct the knees of anyone drawing their chair close up to the table. Remember;"Form Follows Function",so it has to WORK as a conference table first before any aesthetic embellishment is imposed upon the design...They will have a 4' x 9' piece of thick glass on the top. The dorsal sections of the vertebrae are graduated in size so as to form a nearly parallel ridge just beneath the glass.
All welded and forged steel -33"wide by 86"long by 30" high.
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Comments: 80
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ever so cool... 
i didn`t check your gallery yet, maybe i should - to find out if you made someting "trilobitish" already - that would be very cool either...
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Not yet ,but I'm planning to...
I've started the reference file of photos.that's the first step...
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sounds really cool - i`ve looked at some of your works and they they go pretty much in that direction already...
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As tables go, that is a seriously damn awesome one. Love the vertebrae, looks surprisingly elegant against the bulkiness of the table legs. Awesome.
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I liked working on the piece but it went out so quickly I didn't really have much of a chance to enjoy it.
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you know and we know that this is a great work.
very cool
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I like this , beautiful interpretation , and for me a flight that is happening . I love the movement across the table . Robotic in style - I'm sure your clients where happy .
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Yes they were,
It was very satisfying though as i said ,a bit rushed.
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Thank you Don,
It was a very quick effort,but ultimately satisfying.
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Hi S. I just had the time now to cruise through your metal artwork. I've never seen anything like it before. The fluid quality of metal you seem to tease out of things is really beautiful.
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Thank you for your kind compliments.
That is the hallmark of my work and the comprehensive training of my father who was a master sculptor.
My greatest inspiration is the Natural world and the endless and marvelous structures nature provides for those who take the time to investigate a little closer...
Breathing LIFE into metal is to me alchemy restored...
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I am in awe of this piece. You have taken an everyday object and indeed made it something that looks like it belongs in a museum rather than a conference room. My hat is off to you on a most excellent piece of craftsmanship.
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Thank you Michael,
I'm trying to get my fine art sculptures seen by the big movie houses in hopes they'd use some of my pieces in a movie or tv show someday...
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Great piece - I really like the that all the metal isn't refined and polished, definitely adds character and makes it stand out.
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This is pretty neet
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Those beams had been sitting outside for several years and had acquired a most marvelous patina which I was loath to alter in any way(except to spray with a clearcoat. Fortunately my clients were in total agreement once I sent them photos.
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I like this, it tugs at my creative stings and makes me want to try to make something original and moving, but I think you need to make it a little sturdier... I mean, can you set a building on top of it? ...
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You jest of course.
One of the hallmarks of my work is that my pieces are built WAY better than they have to be.
Here is the piece in situ.
[link]
That piece of glass on top of it is 9 ft.long and over 350 lbs.
My father was the toughest of task masters and made damn sure I got all the lessons on the craft of construction and fabrication.
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Yeah I'm into woodworking, and everything I make I overbuild. I think if someone is going to have to fix it in 200 years then I've failed, whatever I make needs to last forever. 350 lb sheet of glass is intense. I had an idea for a glass coffee table. 4 inch thick glass and 2 solid glass legs that span the full width and something ornate etched on all the surfaces. keep up the good work man.
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I'm hoping some fancy schmancy interior desicrator in Hollyweird sees this...
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I hope so hon, i really do. Your work deserves to be known and appreciated far and wide.
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Maybe,
well I am getting published again for it in a forthcoming book called "From Fire to Form".
It's a coffee table size book with lots of pictures by world class metal artists who utilize forging techniques for sculpture. I'm really lucky to be chosen. these are the big boys of metal art...
It comes out in April.
I'll bet there are some Aussies in there...
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Oh wow!! Congratulations!
I know, I'm massively behind the times, but that sounds like a wonderful thing for you and your business. I hope it provides a wider appreciation of your skills and work.
I have a similar (smaller scale) feeling at the moment. I have been invited to join an exhibition focusing on artists who re-use, re-cycle and re-invent items in their work. I'm really excited about it right now.
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I'd be interested to see what you come up with.
90% of my works are made from recycled metal.
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I tend to be mainly a re-user of second-hand jewelry more than anything else.
Parts are usually found at flea markets, op-shops, antique stores, on the street, my old hair extentions, in garden beds (I used to work as a city council gardener, and built up quite a collection of bits from garden beds), or wherever else! I tend to mix in bits of clockwork, as the workmanship in the small brass pieces has always fascinated me, and these days, the steampunk bug has bitten me fairly hard.
Most of the pins and brooches that i've posted in the last 6 months or so have a recycled aspect or three.
I shall have to explain a little more in my upcoming updates...
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I'm sure you must have checked out Porkshank's work here on DA.
If not, her stuff is always worth a look,for inspiration...
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Oh yes!! I have been following Miss Porkshanks for quite a while! Her works are fascinating.
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Thank God for such wonderful high functioning eccentrics...
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You're insane and I want to be you. xD
I actually can't think of anything else to say with that. xD
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That is something I'd have
A great balance of industrial and organic styles.
it seems very fit for it's purpose and clients
Has the frame been painted or left natural?
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Dear Aaron,
The client shares my affinity with natural patinas.
I sent them images of the surface texture and color of the recycled "H" beams I was able to acquire for this project.
They had been sitting outside unprotected for at least a year and the mill scale had worn off in the corners so the lovely orange rust patina was evident.I however thought it most expressive to clean much more completely the freshly forged parts of the vertebrae thus featuring the differences in texture and identifying the vertebrae as the part "on display". A clear coat finish on all just deepened the colors and sealed it from further transition. The clients wisely differed to me on all points and gave me great latitude to make these aesthetic decisions unilaterally.But I DO communicate well,and kept them apprised of every minor decision along the way,answering questions ,drawing sketches etc.
Note:"H"Beam is like "I" beam except the web is the same dimension as the flanges.
So these vertical legs were 6" wide in all dimensions.They are somewhat unusual and I was lucky to find them.
I call this hybrid style "Industrial Organic",but it has many names and variants...
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Stephen, thank you for a clear and detailed reply.
As you have said the patina is beautiful and it was wise to give the table a clear coat for protection.
Industrial organic seems a very appropriate term for your work.
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My pleasure,
I'm always wishing folks were more complete with their explanations on here because IMHO that's where the true learning of all our interactions takes place...
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That's very true, you can only learn so much from looking at a piece.
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What a great solution for a place that builds monsters. looks like some dinosaur bone or something. I'm sure it will make a wonderful statement for their conference room. Beautifully done.
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Thanks Marsha,
I think everyone is happy with it.
And someone else in [link] bound to see this thing and remember it.
Perhaps I'll get another commission from Babylon...LOL.
It's a market that I have never really tapped, since L.A. scares the hell out of me.LOL.
But I've had at least a dozen or more wonderful girlfriends who were refugees from there,so I certainly know it's greatest resource are it's people...
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