terrazzo tree public artwork

in march this year deb and i put our hands up for a public art job. and we were lucky enough to get the gig. and so began our path towards learning about and installing a large terrazzo floor artwork in front of the adelaide city council building.

we contacted a local company monterrazzo and worked out a plan on how to make our design in terrazzo.

 

i posted previously about the process to get the design drawn up.  so it was an exciting day when we began laying the brass down on site. a base slab with the reinforcements had already been poured to the right level and allowed to set up for a week or so

we brought our pre bent and braised brass drawing to site on large mdf panels.

 

it was like a large puzzle to put together

 

after a couple hours we were making progress and setting the brass in place with nails and glue.

 

we previously did some colour tests and mixed different oxides and aggregates together to make the colours for our design. for this project we are using locally sourced stones in the terrazzo.

 

and then the 'boys' began the time consuming task of placing the terrazzo mixture in the areas of the design in between the brass strips.

 

this is the off white colour in the tree trunk section.

 

then once it is in place the 'boys' keep revisiting the surface, filling in all the gaps and taping the terrazzo to get the air out.

after that we wait for it to set

 

hope it doesnt rain and get ready to do it again tomorrow

so happy after that first colour was in, 

 

the next colour was a dark green, again with natural stone aggregates mixed in.

 

at the base with the 2 colours coming together.

a very time consuming but relatively straightforward process. we really enjoyed watching it be filled in.

this second colour took a few days to get down as it covered a large area of the design

 

and it started to rain, so we were delayed a bit even though we did all we could to try and make a dry space to work. 

terrazzo does not like the rain, cold or extreme hot temperatures, so that makes it hard to install outside in winter, but we managed

 

  

of course we had to put our signature in the work

the artwork is in place to commemorate the 175 years of the city council, and compliment the current council initiative to create green spaces in the city. 

our idea was a tree that was green, and had 175 branch ends, one for each year.

the third colour mix was a lighter green, to come in a meet the darker green.

again this colour took a few days to be set into place.

our team worked well and we made some great progress even despite it being the wettest June in a long time with records rain falls. not ideal conditions

one colour left to mix and install across the top of the design. at this point it all looks very flat and you cant see the aggregate yet.

we ground back a small area that had set up already to see what the finished product would look like

this is the sneak peak of what the finished surface will look like with the different mixes of stone aggregates and cement mix. we were so happy at this point. more about this project soon.

terrazzo and excuses

ok - i know it has been a while. life just got a bit too busy. too much happening. but i have still been documenting it, just not having any time to post things here. I will attempt to catch up over the next couple weeks. that was the excuse.

first to what i am doing now. here is the terrazzo.

 deb and i were successful in securing a public art job for the city council. we designed a tree image that will be made from brass lines set in terrazzo. this will be set along the foot path in front of the city council building.

we started by creating a template that is to scale for us to draw the pattern out on

 

we drew the tree pattern onto the template

then we used this to bend and lay out the brass strips to make up the drawing.

as we often do when working on a public art project, we have partnered up with a local fabricator who works with concrete and terrazzo all the time. he is helping us source materials, create the concrete colours and mixes and install the terrazzo.

in the meantime we have been busy writing safe work method statements, getting work permits, and planning and coordinating all the background prep stuff to get this job started. The base concrete slab was poured last week. Now we just need a few sunny days in a row so we can begin to layout the brass pattern and then start the coloured aggregates. 

watch this space for more updates soon.

newst pieces

there are a few art competitions deadlines coming up, and this is a great motivator to get some artwork that has been in the works for a while.

this piece is made to fit on a backing board that i had a friend make for me. i have had it for a while but have finally decided to use it, and i am really liking it.

 

this is a collection of small squares that i have been working on that are part of a new series about exploring my local area.

 

and these are the photos from the photographers. i went to a new person to get my work shot. i like the results, a bit of drama in the lighting but i think it works. and i never would have thought about shooting black on black work, on a black background but it seems to work.

this is the final image of the favourite 4 smaller squares, again drama in the lighting and a black background.

 

i also got this piece re shot at the photographers, to see who it went with mirror, and again i like the result. although it does not look like mirror, it does give the same feel as how the piece looks at times when you live with it, as it changes all the time in the light and as you move around it.

so now is the waiting game to see if i am successful and shortlisted for any of the art prizes. and if not i have at least made some new work and some new discoveries in photography of the work.

adelaide festival time

each year in february/march adelaide goes crazy with festivals and more festivals.

it is overwhelming, and sometimes i just stay away from it all but this year my good friend tom moore is in the adelaide biennial, and i wanted to share some of his amazing work.

 

at the art gallery sa he has a whole huge room to himself

 

it took him weeks to get this installation complete

 

and it showcases some amazing piece of art.

its way better in person but this gives you the idea

 

then top top this off he also has an exhibition on at the botanic gardens

with some more installations

 

exhibition is "watch glass grow" 

there are some really good pieces

 

and then to top it off even more the art gallery also has had some projections created that cover the whole building

 

they are animated versions of toms artworks

 

it was very successful and made the building come to life

 its been great to see his talent celebrated and his artworks being enjoyed by so many people.