BASTION
Portland, OR
2014 - 2016
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Bastion comprises two related sculptures. One sculpture is made of wood (salvaged from the site) and set above the ground on an arced steel ledger. The second sculpture is cast iron and is partially buried in the ground. The sculptures were commissioned by the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services for grounds adjacent to a new engineering building that facilitates waste water management. Both of the sculptures are designed to gradually fall apart and compress into the ground over time (the wood sculpture much more rapidly than the cast iron sculpture). Rainwater collects and funnels through the hollow fluted forms of the wood sculpture. In 2014, the wood sculpture was disassembled into 15 sections that were temporarily sited throughout Portland at locations related to the city’s waste water system. The disassembled sections remained in these temporary locations for two years. Each location related to a different component of the city’s water infrastructure. These included a pump house at the city’s airport baggage claim area, a retaining tank at the entry to the county jail, newly-created bio swales in inner city neighborhoods, river shore and mudflat restoration areas, overflow ponds, and floodplains. One outlier section was sited at Madison Farms, a ranch 200 miles east of Portland where all of the municipal bio solids are hauled and deposited. This section of the sculpture (separated further into four subsections) was regularly sprayed by mechanical spreaders dispersing the bio solids. The separated sections were oriented vertically, and also functioned as scratching posts for the cattle that feed on the fertilized crops. In 2016, all sections of the sculpture were collected and reassembled, revealing different wear from these various locations and orientations.
IMAGES
Bastion, Portland, OR, 2014 – 2016. One sculpture is 10’ x 20’ by 8 ‘, made of wood (stained black) and set above the ground on an arced steel ledger. The second sculpture is cast iron, 4’h x 20’ by 12’, and it is partially buried in the ground.
BASTION
Portland, OR
2014 - 2016
Bastion comprises two related sculptures. One sculpture is made of wood (salvaged from the site) and set above the ground on an arced steel ledger. The second sculpture is cast iron and is partially buried in the ground. The sculptures were commissioned by the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services for grounds adjacent to a new engineering building that facilitates waste water management. Both of the sculptures are designed to gradually fall apart and compress into the ground over time (the wood sculpture much more rapidly than the cast iron sculpture). Rainwater collects and funnels through the hollow fluted forms of the wood sculpture. In 2014, the wood sculpture was disassembled into 15 sections that were temporarily sited throughout Portland at locations related to the city’s waste water system. The disassembled sections remained in these temporary locations for two years. Each location related to a different component of the city’s water infrastructure. These included a pump house at the city’s airport baggage claim area, a retaining tank at the entry to the county jail, newly-created bio swales in inner city neighborhoods, river shore and mudflat restoration areas, overflow ponds, and floodplains. One outlier section was sited at Madison Farms, a ranch 200 miles east of Portland where all of the municipal bio solids are hauled and deposited. This section of the sculpture (separated further into four subsections) was regularly sprayed by mechanical spreaders dispersing the bio solids. The separated sections were oriented vertically, and also functioned as scratching posts for the cattle that feed on the fertilized crops. In 2016, all sections of the sculpture were collected and reassembled, revealing different wear from these various locations and orientations.
IMAGES
Bastion, Portland, OR, 2014 – 2016. One sculpture is 10’ x 20’ by 8 ‘, made of wood (stained black) and set above the ground on an arced steel ledger. The second sculpture is cast iron, 4’h x 20’ by 12’, and it is partially buried in the ground.
PROCESS
The wood for Bastion was sourced from trees that were cut down on site to make way for a new adjacent engineering building. Different species of wood were used according to the degree of structural integrity desired. The internal box frames were made with oak while the external layers of the narrow flutes were made with fir. The flutes are meant to degrade first (flaking off in layers) while the internal frames are designed to wear the longest. The iron sculpture was cast in resin/sand molds at the Kohler foundry in Wisconsin. Each of the 125 plates was unique. The casts were made in pairs with each of the molds weighing as much as 700 pounds. Peggy Kendellen (RAC) managed the project in collaboration with Randy Tomsik (BES), Brent Grubb (Skylab Architecture) and architect James Bowen. Project engineer was Jared Lewis (Catena Engineers). Jeff Hudak built the digital models for the project. The iron sculpture was cast at the Kohler Foundry (WI) through a residency organized and funded by the Kohler Arts Center (WI).