Second  assembly                                                         

As mentioned in the previous post, I have come to terms with the fact that I can't construct a full sphere right now.(yes, I think I will attempt again in the future).

I know that I can assemble 3 clusters together - 2 hexagons and a pentagon.

Already, the shape has the certain appeal and a presence.

It is almost moving, crawling, slithering....

It is curious how ready our brains are to connect the missing dots into a picture, and how quickly our imagination breathes life into inanimate objects. 

I am beginning to think that fragments of the sphere will be just as interesting, if not more, than a full sphere.

Sphere has a certain poise, perfection of shape. It is balanced,  symmetrical,  accomplished....and  static. It is hard to be curious about a sphere.

Fragments, on the other hand, are a story in the making. They can be parts of the bigger objects, growing or decaying. 

Let's see how big can they grow...

A milk crate seems to be perfect height to support the unbalanced piece. 

So far so good...with the small scale paper model next to it for comparison

And here it is:

I'm not sure if you can see it, but the points on the centre right are not touching the ground.

My creature is standing on the tippy toes.

My creature is standing.

This is exciting.

I am going to leave it like that for a few days to see if it develops any problems (fractures?)

Fractures                                                                                      

The way that pieces broke is really interesting. I would of thought that they would break on the weakest point - narrowest part of the shape, following the construction ( coils) line.
But no, breaks are closer to the middle of the shape and do not follow the lines of coils.
Well, at least I know I can't blame fractures on bad claywork.

I am questioning everything: materials, construction method, design.....

I don't think it is the weight of sculpture as I did not get very far with the assembly, and it was not the bottom pieces that were breaking.

Somebody familiar with the way the skeleton and human body works says that she is familiar with this type of fractures. That is the way our bones break, apparently.
I like the comparison to the skeleton and bones. It speaks of organic origins that intrigue me and inspire my work.

I have attempted a quick internet search of the bone fractures, and just as quickly realized that I could never ever be a doctor.  I can deal with x rays, just not with flesh, blood and pain.

 It is about tension and twist, I think.

During the assembly I was not very comfortable with the way the whole structure moves if the bolts are not tightened (hand tightened, not tool). Yet if it is tightened it becomes too rigid.

I have come to terms that right now, sphere is not going to happen.

My next move will be to try different assembly method.

Almost two months to the exhibition opening - I have plenty of time.

First  assembly                                                         

The big day has arrived – no more postponements – I have to find out if I can put my sculpture together. Will it work?

It is a beautiful day, and the family has gathered to help. I feel very nervous and keep saying to myself that if it doesn't work nobody will die. It is not as if I’m constructing a bridge or a building.

 In other words, worst thing that can happen is not the worst thing that I can imagine happening.

Oh well, that is comforting. But my hands are still shaking as I’m bringing all components to the grassy area in front of the house.

Positioning the first ring clusters roughly where they should be seems like a good starting point.

And so it begins: 

Tie down straps are really, really useful. They pull pieces in, preventing them from leaning too much out of the center.

Second row is already difficult to handle.

Every nut and bolt is adjustable point. If it is too loose, the whole structure moves out of shape. If it is tightened, it becomes rigid. It is really difficult to find the "just right" position.

And I am beginning to see the complexity of putting it all together. And I am starting to panic. I sense that it will not work ( but I was wrong before, so I try to calm myself down).

And this is when we notice that pieces are starting to break. You know how it goes...first you notice one ( oh no!) than you start looking and notice more. Too many.

Time to stop and pull back.

Time to re-think.

Pull it all apart and go back to the drawing board.

Again.

minus one                                         

I have been silent for over a month, I know. I have been busy making, angle grinding, drilling,bending and procrastinating. Today I have glued the last of the bolts into the clay and connected (those which were ready) triangles into hexagons and pentagons.

I am planning to put the sphere together on the weekend - trial run. It worries me terribly - will I be able to connect it? will it break? 
It feels little bit like constructing the house of cards. one wrong move and it all collapses. Not a reassuring thought.
This was also a chance to count all the triangles and, I cant quite believe it.... I am ONE triangle short.
ONE

I thought that I made plenty spares....but obviously not
Quite a few broke in the last batch

so I guess you won't hear from me for a while. I need to make, dry,fire,glaze and fire again some more triangles.Again.

Back to the drawing board                                         

I have put my analytical hat on in order to methodically approach the Mystery of Non Fitting Triangles.
The first problem: due to its shape (tapering angles) I can't accurately measure the size of the triangle.
Solution: make slightly oversized model and see how my shapes fit on top.
 If I haven't totally blundered in making the shapes, the angles should match....

and they do.
So do the angles on the brackets.
in the moment of practical inspiration I drew the clay shape on the transparency and copied it 6 times. Position of the holes is important.
And there I found it!
The hole on the bracket needs to be 5 mm further from the center. Therefore the bracket needs to be 5 mm longer on each side, as you can see on the paper model (right).

So, back to the bracket making, measuring, connecting and testing the theory....
and this time it works:

Do you want to see it right way up?

It fits! It fits! It fits!

(Of course, that is only first 6 out of 180. And I made 12 brackets out of 540....)

But I will keep those thoughts at bay, and finish with a quote from the father of geodesic domes:

“When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty........ but 

when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.” 

―Richard Buckminster Fuller

Sometimes it is good to be impatient                                                        

,,,,or would curious be a better word?

I couldn't wait to connect first 6 triangles and see how they fit together,  so I "bravely" ventured into the unknown metal brackets territory. I soon discovered that steel is too hard for me to work with, but luckily, my husband Vlado spotted aluminium flats next to the steel ones in the hardware shop, so I bought a meter to try it out.

Working with a trial and error method, I (thanks for the patience Vlado) figured out how to cut, drill and bend aluminium flat into the bracket resembling the drawing ( see previous post).

I only had to make 12 brackets to connect a hexagon and here it is, first connections:

I can't tell you how exciting it is to put 2 clay shapes together with a metal bracket and it's not  falling apart.

Four of them together..still holding...but I feel the first seeds of doubt. The shape is not quite what I imagined.

And the 6th triangle just doesn't fit in. Not enough space.

Where did I go wrong? the hexagon shape I am getting is tighter and more pointy than expected, and no way to "flatten" it a bit.

I find it hard to resist the urge to flatten the angle on the brackets to see if that would help.

I need to properly diagnose the problem.....

Isn't it good I only made 12 brackets, rather than commissioned someone to make 540?

Are we there yet?                                    

There comes a point in the journey when the road seems to stretch forever, there is only a climb and no summit, only the ocean and no land, and it seems to take lots of motivation and energy to make another step.....or in this case; another triangle.

As the number of made triangles grows, and firings are happening without further problems, my mind turns to the next step in the process, the next unsolved bit: connecting them together.

The plan is to glue the bolts into the holes made for the purpose on the triangles, make metal brackets and screw them together.

I am really pleased with the way  bolts fit into the spaces for them:

If you don't work with clay, you are probably wandering why is this such a big deal. The thing is, the clay shrinks...and every clay shrinks differently so the exact size is difficult to predict if you have not tested the clay.

Here is the shrinkage example:

First triangle (top left) is freshly made, second is leather hard and third bone dry.
Bottom row: first is bone dry, second bisque fired and third glaze fired to 1210^oC.
Lines are 3 cm apart.

There are several unknowns left to solve: I don’t know which adhesive will be strong enough for the purpose, so I will need to test a few.....starting with the one recommended by the professional shop, claiming to glue ceramics, glass, wood, marble, metal, etc.....which failed miserably.

Resin is showing promise. First test was holding the screw firmly in the hole, but in a few days it broke off like a rotten tooth.

 I realized I used 10 x the recommended amount of catalyst....so I mixed another batch and it is looking good:

This is the first prototype for the brackets:

it needs the hole for the bolt on the left side, but at the moment I'm using it to test the strength of the glue.

I will need to make 540 brackets, and I don't have a metal workshop, just few basic tools. This is one of the moments when I'm sorry I don't work at art school any more. Access to the metal workshop was a nice privilege.

This is the plan:

I am pretty sure it will work. I think. I hope. Wish me luck. Please.....