The big reveal

The final step for the delivery of this brief is the installation of the pieces.

I considered the available spaces and what would work best for my pieces.  I needed access to a mains power supply, a location that wasn't too bright, somewhere that I could wall mount the frame and a location that a plinth could be positioned safely.  I identified the location and set to work.

I made sure the walls and plinth were clean and gave them all a fresh coat of paint.  I then measured out the space and set up my wall hanging hooks (making sure I observed any potential wiring routes).

I then mounted the digital images and installed each of the component parts.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog about my exploration of 'non-place' and the process of creating this installation.  It should be on display at the college for several weeks so feel free to drop in and take a look.

Made on solid foundations

I wanted to capture my favoured artistic medium in this journey piece so I considered how best to use glass as the foundation for my deconstructed wire brain.  I wanted the glass to be understated, to allow the wire to be the focus as it travelled down to its roots and to my memory map,  I also had to identify a means of displaying those memories.  I tried out several ideas and opted to use a plain copper foiled glass stand.

Copper foiling is a method of joining glass pieces using a sticky copper tape to edge the glass pieces and then soldering them together; a method made popular in Tiffany style lamps.

I created a cutting pattern for the glass, which had to accommodate a hole for the stem to pass through.  Each piece of glass was prepared for taping by running it past the grinder which gave the edges a slightly course surface for the tape to stick to.

The copper tape was then fixed to each of the pieces.  The tape comes in different gauges to suit the different thicknesses of glass.  The tape should be wide enough to be wider than the glass and when placed on the glass it should overhang to wrap around the glass evenly on both sides.  Once it is fixed to the glass a 'fid' tool is used to smooth the tape to the glass and provide a regular and firm bond.

After the foil tape is applied I like to 'tin' the tape before soldering them together.  This involves applying a thin layer of solder to all of the foil edges, which turns it silver, or tin, coloured.  This isn't a necessary step however I find it helps the soldering process.  Before you apply any solder you have to brush a liquid flux onto the foil; the flux acts as a catalyst that helps the metals in the foil and solder to bond more easily.  I use a water based flux as it is less destructive to the environment.

I had arranged the photographs I was using for my memory map into a pattern that worked as a flow, a journey, and then photographed them in place.  I could have created a collage in Photoshop however this approach had a more irregular layout.  I did use Photoshop to create a transparent background.  I printed the map onto clear acetate in both colour and black & white.  I then placed both copies into the glass with the wire roots to determine which option to go with.  I preferred the colour print as it would compliment the copper wires and sit well alongside the brain infinity mirror.

I then soldered all of the pieces together making sure I supported the glass stem section (a borosilicate glass tube) so that it didn't break or cause the foil to be pulled from the glass.

The finished piece now has silver coloured foil.  In some pieces this could be desirable however in others in may not.  The silver solder can be recoloured by applying a patina, an acid that causes a reaction in the solder that causes it to turn to a copper colour or black.  I wanted to use black in this piece so that it would not detract from the copper wire or the images.  I thought it would also give the base some weight if it looked like worked iron.

All that was left to do was to wash off all flux and patina residue (the acids would eventually eat away at the copper foil and destabilise the piece), affix clear rubber feet underneath each corner and rearrange the brain synapses into the desired structural layout.

To finish the whole piece I had to deconstruct the glass brain.  Don't worry, this doesn't involve taking a hammer to my cast glass; I'm going to use digital photographs instead... Phew!

I carefully considered the many photographs I had taken of my exploring the varied colours, shapes, patterns and flows that could be seen inside the brain's glass.  I opted to work with the images of its' inside as they would never be seen again.  I liked the idea that they were only available to be seen up to the point they were bonded with the glass, which was  only about 30 minutes.  However, they are still there but hidden from view.  The use of photographs gave the opportunity for the viewer to feel privileged to witness the inner secrets of the glass, just as the journey and memory map revealed my inner secrets.

Next, and final, step is to install the complete work...

Constructive deconstruction

For those that followed my blog about the making of my cast glass brain you will recall that I had carried out flamework to create veins and synapses.   The intention had been to incorporate these within the rear void of the cast piece.  However, as the piece progressed a decided that less can be more and that the piece could be too fussy if they were included.  I then considered the option of creating a deconstructed piece to compliment the other. Back to the sketchbook...

I looked at different design ideas and materials; was the use of the flameworked glass synapse the best way to go, was it too obvious?  I pondered what it was that I was wanting to portray and realised that a deconstructed piece need not only be about the materials but also the design journey, this piece was to be very cerebral.

I wanted to capture the idea of thought processes, the electrical distribution of human data therefore I experimented with electrical wire.  At first I thought domestic appliance cable would be ideal as it is shrouded by coloured plastic that reflected my chosen colours of glass, namely blue, yellow, green and brown.  I tried sculpted on this theme.

 Okay, so the material works and it can, with some work, be sculpted to represent the brain and its workings however I wasn't happy that this was what I was trying to portray.  Aesthetically it wasn't pleasing, it was too contrived, it wasn't fine enough to capture the delicacy of the mind - it was all too dressed up.  It needed deconstructed more.

I stared to remove the plastic coated to reveal the copper wires beneath.  The cable is made up of multiple strands of fine copper threads (30 in each colour).   I started to select differing numbers of threads and twisted them together, branching and thinning out as I went, almost tree like.  I really loved the sculptural possibilities this allowed.

I wanted this piece to capture my journey, like a memory map, the essence of what has made me me. I reflected on a piece we made at the start of college and how that echoed aspects of what I was seeking to do so I revisited that work.  This resulted in me selected a number of images that reflected my personal and artistic development.   I worked with them to establish a system of setting them out that added to the overall message and how that would work with the base for the piece.

I liked the principle of laying out a route journey and I extended this into the foundations of my stem.  By overlaying the wires onto a series of life story telling pictures I could set out my journey and the foundations, the roots of me.

I'll take you through the design and making of the base in my next instalment.

Gathering my thoughts

That's it. all of my component parts have been completed so it's just a matter of pulling it all together.

Just to check:

Brain - modelled, moulded, cast and polished - tick

Words - Vinyl printed and cut, glass cut (x2), letters acid etched,, glass cleaned - tick

Frame - commissioned, confirmed ready - tick

Lighting....... Oops!  It would have been a bright idea to have updated on that.

The final piece will have lighting within the infinity mirror.  This will comprise of UK mains powered LED light ribbon and has been installed as part of the commissioned frame, so that's okay.  The brain is also being lit but will be independent from the frame.

I want to backlight the brain using rice grain LEDs and for ease of installation these will be battery operated  The decision to be made here was what colour, if indeed a colour? I tried a variety of LEDs (I try to keep a small stock of LEDs as you never know when the notion might take you) ranging from cool white, red, green and multicoloured and also a combination of these.

Each colour brought out something different in the glass and created entirely different moods as you can see from the images below.

I decided to install the clear light as that brought out all of the colours in the glass as initially designed.

Lights - tested, chosen and installed - tick

Now to put it together. 

The easy part was installing the second pane of word etched glass and mirror etc into the frame however these were the last steps.  First of all I had to fix the cast brain onto the first pane of word etched glass.  There are many glue, fixing and bonding agents on the market however given the weight of the cast (almost 1Kg) I decided that Bohle UV bonding was the preferred option.

UV bonding requires both glass parts are as smooth and clean as possible, thankfully I had spent the required amount of time polishing the cast glass.  The bonding gel was applied to the rear surface of the brain cast and this was carefully placed onto its position on the sheet of glass.  Once I was satisfied it was in the correct location and all residue clean away I exposed the joint are to ultra violet light (UV).  The UV light causes the bonding gel to cure and it does this within a few minutes, although a more permanent and confident bonding occurs if you leave it exposed to the UV for as long as possible.

I fixed a series of clear, yellow and turquoise blue rods and stringers as an extension to the brain stem and down to the edge of the frame.  This served to disguise the power chord for the brain's LEDs power pack which was fixed to the back pf the frame.

And as they say, that was that...

I hope you've enjoyed following the making of this piece.  It does form one part to my submission for this college brief so please read my next blogs as they take you through the making of My Deconstructed Journey and will also include the final installation of both pieces.