Ohhh this big fish. Did I mention this fish was big? When I was commissioned to make a larger version of my original fish sculpture, (albeit a different species of fish) I was excited, because it meant I would be venturing into new territory with my sculptures. When I say new territory, I mean a cross between super intricate cutting methods of metal, more parts than ever, and heavy pendulums- which my current materials just weren't ready for. Did I learn a lot? Yes. Am I happy with the end result. Hell yes. Did this sculpture push me and annoy me to bits.... Yes. New techniques/ newly learned: - Bolting wires to metal parts. This tidbit I had borrowed from Calder himself. When I visited an exhibition on his works in London, I carefully studied how he managed to construct his larger mobiles- and bolts were utilised everywhere.
- Using thicker wires. There were certain parts on the fish that needed to have quite a long "arm" from the pivot point so as to place them correctly. Well, my high ductile, skinny fencing wire just wasn't cutting it anymore and was bending all over the place. So I used some of my engineering skills, and ordered the appropriate poles in stainless steel to hold up the weight correctly. Looking back, I wish I had used the stainless steel everywhere. I know for the future then..
- Patience. The tail itself took 3 hours of carefully cutting on the CNC milling machine. The fish has 13 pieces total. You do the math.
Huge thanks to Erik Nordén for the beautiful photography.