On this page are the sculpture projects I have completed in Summer 2007. As more are completed they will be added.
On another page I have shown the umbilic torus carved from Brazilian cocobolo wood. That piece has been purchased, but the buyer wanted me to make a base to hold and display it. I made a simple base from some of the Oregon black walnut I had left over from the kinetic sound sculptures. The piece sits in a curved groove in the base. Here are two pictures of the result.
In Spring 2007 I made sculptures of the Borromean rings where the links were separate and moveable. Previously I had cast these as a single piece, but it was very difficult to completely polish them where they touched. I decided to undertake a major repair project, to cut the rings apart with a plasma torch, fix the damage with the TIG welder, polish them separately, then put them back together as linked but loose Borromean rings. I also tried to put a patina on them. Since two other Borromean rings sculptures I made have been sold, one bronze and one iron, I wanted to have more to meet any further demand! The results were as shown below, but the patina came out a bit dark, and could easily be redone. With the right chemicals, many other colors are possible.
I have previously cast bronze sculptures based on a pierced torus, that is, a doughnut with additional holes punched vertically and radially, and the surface shaped to flow through and round the holes. In this sculpture I used six punctures, and shaped the surface so that a distinctive edge snakes all around the outside and inside of the torus, going through each hole twice before it comes back to its beginning, making a knot on the surface. The piece has been given a patina, but the knot is emphasized by cleaning away the patina so it shows as bright bronze color.
I have made several sculptures based on the trefoil knot, starting with a simple bronze rod bent and welded. The next interesting knot to explore is the figure eight knot, here made in that simplest way from a bronze rod. For display, I think a small wooden base with a bronze rod curving up and over would serve well for hanging the knot. Here is a picture of just the knot itself.
To see more types of sculpture I have tried, follow the following links:
Links back to:
Webpage of Alex Feingold,
Department of Mathematical Sciences,
Binghamton University.