A CONFLUENCE OF TIME AND PLACE
MATT DEHAEMERS
PROJECT PROFILE:
Artist: Matt Dehaemers
Title: A Confluence of Time and Place
Materials: Stainless Steel, Recycled Crushed Glass, LED Lighting
Fabrication + Installation: Demiurge
Engineering: Daigle Structural Engineering
Location: Casper, WY
Dimensions: 12' Wide X 28' Long X 23' Tall
Demiurge has carefully placed the final piece of glass intoMatt Daheamers' sculpture created for Casper, WY, called A Confluence of Time and Place. The stainless steel and glass piece stands in sharp contrast to the traditional bronzes that populate the town of Casper, while at the same time, capturing the essence of the regional geography.
Demiurge began working with Daheamers from a preliminary digital model he generated. From this concept, we created an advanced Rhino 3D model with rigorous detailing in order to ensure structural integrity, compliance with public safety ordinances, efficient and beautiful detailing, and the ability to easily and cost-effectively transport the piece from our studio in Denver to Casper, WY. From this fabrication model, we generated full-scale drawings and templates to expedite fabrication and ensure strict tolerances throughout the piece, from the smallest connections to the layout of the foundation which was being constructed simultaneously in Casper by others.
Precision Rhino 3D modeling software enables Demiurge to work on the components of a project in parallel, greatly reducing the overall time from start to completion - in this case, just four weeks. Each element was completed simultaneously and independently with considerations for the primary assembly at Demiurge and the final assembly on site. The precision of digital tools, combined with a workflow designed as carefully as each piece of art, ensures that we are able to provide pieces on extremely tight timelines, with a maximum of quality; art doesn’t stop the instant it is put into production, and this superior workflow enables us to absorb the natural changes, fluctuations, and snap decisions that are part of every artwork much more easily than a fabricator using a traditional digital or analog workflow.
Nothing is predictable in art fabrication, yet the advanced process design and planning Demiurge invested in this piece paid off as the constraints of a tight timeline, a tight budget, and late design improvements in no way affected the high quality of the project or the completion date required to hit our deadline. Every project presents unique constraints and challenges - it is these unique elements which inform our design and fabrication process, resulting in well-conceived and executed pieces of art.
From the Artist:
"The vision of this public art piece is inspired by the historical periods of this region. All along the way life has left its’ mark on the rugged rocky terrain of the area in the form of bones, fossils, word and image carvings of indigenous people and pioneers. Today we mark the land by utilizing its’ rich natural resources to fuel our communities including new alternative sources such as solar and wind energy. Today is just one small point on a continuum of millions of years of existence...It is this continuum of time that creates a confluence intersecting geology with the existence of life.
The mountain-like structure filled with layers of clear recycled glass chunks reflects the rich history of this region’s geology and prehistoric life. The installation in many ways serves as a phoenix rising up out of the earth symbolizing the cycles of erosion and the sustainable revitalization of Casper."