| Construction of Pledged | Wayne Hudson |
WINNER: Wayne Hudson with his Artentwine congratulatory plaque and (inset) his sculpture Pledged. Picture: Scott Gelston, The Examiner
WAYNE HUDSON
Pledged
Steel, morta, abalone shell, paint, wood, 2018
The sculpture titled Pledged is visually in the form of a ring, which is derived from the traditional formal connection that people make when forming a bond with one another. That same Pledge is evident within communities, especially when hard times has crept into a community, denoting the same connection of trust. Communities work together to become stronger, sometimes they join together with other communities to create even more strength. The central part of the ring has a cylindrical section where a light source positioned below can pierce through the ring into the sky to signify the pledge of hope and power. The main body is made of brushed stainless steel, to withstand the elements. The central section is cast from reinforced polished concrete, inlaid with gold and silver glass. I would envisage that the work would be positioned on a suitable concrete base with the light set in position.
The process to make the work Pledged is being constructed in two parts. Firstly it was important to complete the concrete dome form to a be able to know the exact size before the metal construction could take place.
The concrete dome was attempted by two approaches, with the second one working out to be the correct one. This has taken a long time due to many reasons, however with perseverance the concreter and myself have worked away to be able to achieve the final outcome.
The metal fabrication will be done in June and should be completed by the end of June 2020.
See the images and text to demonstrate the process.
Method - 1
This image shows the first attempt to create a mould for the concrete dome. It was decided to work from the inside to make the concrete mould, it would then have a resistance membrane placed over the mould to then apply the concrete final form.
A large sewer pipe 1500mm Diameter x 900mm high was located to use as a framework as it was the correct size for the final form - 1500mm diameter. x 600mm deep.
This method was abandoned after a lot of work as the concrete simply continued to flow downwards with the gravity and lost its shape.
Method - 2A - We decided to work on the second method.
A styrene mould was made to be able to trowel the concrete
mix over the outside surface.
A jig was made to be able to rotate to allow a 60-70 mm
thickness of concrete to be placed.
B - The styrene surface was then troweled over with plaster to create a smooth finish, it was then covered with oil to allow the concrete to be removed with ease.
C - The first layer of concrete with the 6mm steel
reinforcement at 100mm spacing inlayed
D - The concrete surface was applied in two stages. The first one was left with a rough surface so the second final surface has a tooth to adhere to.
The first surface had 6mm d. steel reinforcement placed at 100mm spacing.
An image of this is not available here.
E - This method worked well as you can see the special
fitting trowel made by Wayne to fit the curve.
The mix was just right for the final coating, the two mixes
allowed more working time before becoming hard, it also
solved the problem of having too much material to create
the gravity problem of the first experiment.
F - Final form before finish troweling and the placing of the abalone shells. The mix is harder than the floor mix that you get from concrete trucks.
The mix includes a black colour which will be darker, especially when it is wet. We had to work quickly at this point placing the shell fragments into the surface as the mix was beginning to harden.
G - The finished form, however there is still some work left in
touching up on areas around the shell fragments and the base
to be rounded slightly.
The form still has the styrene inside, it will be turned over on a
sandpit to remove the styrene and the pvc tube that goes
through the center making way for the light source to
penetrate. After it is completely finished the form will be
coated with a concrete surface sealer which will enhance
the colour.