Giant Crossword: Art Object first time

Building an art installation or mutant vehicle? Planning to perform? Building a stage or performance space? Talk about it here.
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Solaris_Julia
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Giant Crossword: Art Object first time

Post by Solaris_Julia » Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:17 am

Hi, everybody!
My friends and I are planning to build an art object this year - a giant crossword. You would be able to climb on it, sit or of course to solve the crossword puzzle on each of three sides of puzzle brick. It would be 11 ft height and 32 ft every side.
And I know that it's not even close to the DaVinci theme,but...
It's our first time bringing an art object, so we are a little bit nervous :)

What do you think about our idea? Any suggestions or observations?
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TT120
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Re: Art Object first time

Post by TT120 » Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:28 am

My first concern would be that it is solid. Drunk people will be climbing all over it, swinging from it, and bouncing off of it. You don't want this thing to come crashing down on a bunch of naked hippies.
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Solaris_Julia
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Re: Art Object first time

Post by Solaris_Julia » Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:36 am

TT120 wrote:My first concern would be that it is solid. Drunk people will be climbing all over it, swinging from it, and bouncing off of it. You don't want this thing to come crashing down on a bunch of naked hippies.
Yes,I, know that's a problem.
I don't know how it is solved with other big constructions,for example all those metall Love,dream and other.

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TT120
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Re: Art Object first time

Post by TT120 » Wed Apr 20, 2016 11:28 am

The first step would be to anchor this thing to the ground. A lot of people use lag bolts but I think for a structure this size, you might want to look at something more substantial. Do a google search for "earth anchor" and you'll see what I'm talking about. You might consider using guy wires to help deal with the lateral forces created by the wind and drunken swinging hippies. Since it's a square structure, it will have some built in stability except for what appears to be the entrance area where there is nothing connecting the edges of the structure together. Make sure the corners are well connected and will not separate.
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some seeing eye
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Re: Art Object first time

Post by some seeing eye » Wed Apr 20, 2016 12:57 pm

If your project is on the open playa, the Artery would theoretically like an application.

If you make it in your placed camp, or unplaced camp, that is fine too.

Suggest you be very serious about your MOOP plan, placed or not. When people gather at an art installation, some MOOP. Be early and often at discouraging, preventing and collecting MOOP/lost and found. On the open playa, lighting is a good idea so people and MV's don't crash into you. Having a documentation plan, building, experience, removing is useful. Publicity plan - website, What Where When?, cross publicizing to supportive camps, FB, playa lat-long placement & online event maps, ...

(Somewhere there should be a publicizing your art on playa guide!!?)

And wind load structural engineering.

Great project.
Last edited by some seeing eye on Wed Apr 20, 2016 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Art Object first time

Post by Dr Helix » Wed Apr 20, 2016 12:59 pm

TT120 wrote:My first concern would be that it is solid. Drunk people will be climbing all over it, swinging from it, and bouncing off of it. You don't want this thing to come crashing down on a bunch of naked hippies.
Trouble and trouble. It they can climb it they will. No sign will stop them. 11 ft? Ouch. better have LOTS of insurance on this one. Abandon the cube. Make it a two sided puzzle. No climbing and still the idea remains. If this is your first large art, I would take it down a notch. My first year I built a large candybox heart using steel and plastic. Naive me I thought, "no one damage this." There were holes busted in it in a day. I spent the rest of the week either covering the damaged areas with plywood or chasing people away. Everything I bring out there now is made entirely of steel. And I make sure it's REALLY difficult to climb it. But I love the idea you have. I'm a crossword puzzle guy myself. Good luck!!!!!
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Re: Art Object first time

Post by MimiRKarr » Fri Apr 22, 2016 8:13 am

I really like it! Especially because its able to be played on, how heavy are the blocks?? Will people be able to play on this safely??
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Re: Giant Crossword: Art Object first time

Post by trilobyte » Fri Apr 29, 2016 8:48 am

It looks like a fun piece, and it doesn't matter whether it's in theme or not.

Have either of you built an installation anywhere else? Do you have any experience with building, either public or private pieces? If not, you should try and get some people on your crew who have that kind of experience. There would be different things to consider depending on what you make it out of (wood, steel, etc) because you want to make sure people don't get splinters, or cut themselves on jagged corners, etc. Regardless of what it's made out of, you need to make sure that it is EXTREMELY rugged. People won't just climb on it, people will CLIMB on it.

I found these two pics from Tristan Savatier

Image

Image

This one was posted by the SF Chronicle

Image

And this picture from Cheryl Gatward

Image

You and your team need to make sure your structure can withstand both the elements and the weight and stress of potentially dozens of participants climbing on it. Anchoring will probably be less of a concern once it's fully assembled, because anything strong enough to support that kind of weight, at 11' high and 32' wide and deep, it's not likely going to blow over (though you'll probably need to anchor it as you're building it in the desert). Good luck with the project!

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Re: Giant Crossword: Art Object first time

Post by gl1986 » Tue Jun 28, 2016 4:01 pm

Iv seen something similar made out of water tanks with lights inside

It looked awesome at night

Solaris_Julia
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Re: Giant Crossword: Art Object first time

Post by Solaris_Julia » Wed Jun 29, 2016 1:12 pm

We've made a presentation video.


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