A little more than thirty years ago Peter and I travelled to southern Ontario to paint some historical murals one summer. During our visit we took the time to visit the spectacular Niagara Falls. I remember standing in a very large crowd at the top of the falls, slowly making our way towards the viewpoint railing. We were second in line from the front when a young boy approached the railing, took a very brief glimpse at the powerful falls and then turned to his dad and asked ‘Now can we go on the ferris wheel and have some fun?’ It made me laugh for the highlight of our day was the incredible waterfall before us. Tonight, I am again visiting Niagara Falls. As I walked from my hotel to get some supper this evening I could hear the roar of the waterfall in the distance. I decided to walk to the viewpoint first and get a good look at the brightly lit falls. The crowds were much thinner this trip as it is definitely the offseason and the evening was brisk. I didn’t have to wait my turn to approach the viewpoint rail. The falls were indeed still as incredible as I remembered. I enjoyed the view for a time and then like the little boy of so long ago, turned back towards the tourist attractions. I needed to focus on them for in the next days I’ll be in meetings as we consider a project there.
Sticking to the rules...
The first thing we do when we design project is carefully read the rules. Then it is time to creatively work within them. In the case of the Sign Invitational the build envelope is 2’ x 2’ x 6’ tall. I designed the clock factory to fit well within this envelope and it is in fact just under two inches short of six feet tall… if you measure the building. The water tower, chimney and radio tower go well above this height. My justification was simple. After working with building codes and bylaws for more than forty years with our real building projects I knew these items were exempt. I reasoned that since I was making a model of a building for my Sign Invitational entry these items should be exempt from the rulings in this case as well. Makes perfect sense to me. :)
Wired and ready to go
The Gold Mole Mining Company’s machine is now wired and ready for its sculpted concrete skin. The form is complete and looks simple at this stage. It is the many details which we will sculpt into the surface that will make the machine come to life. The rocks we sculpted a few days ago will be strewn around the machine to make it appear to have busted through the golfing green from deep below.
