Student - Sophomore Studio
2016
Nexus is a sculptural aluminum piece cast from solid aluminum, built around a single continuous edge that wraps around the furthest point of the entire form. The result evokes atomic iconography, a stimulating, timeless aesthetic built from that one unbroken line.
The initial buck from sand casting, Dykem layout fluid was used when roughing out the form to help visualize the material removal
The final piece dropped from 3.77 pounds to under 1.5. This was driven by the undercut requirements needed to sand-cast the initial rough form.
I found the continuous edge form early on in the exploration, but nailing the visual balance proved challenging with this form
Form exploration started in expanded polystyrene foam, then moved to a mid-weight polyurethane foam for final refinement. A hardwood buck was built for casting, intentionally left oversized to avoid porosity issues in the final pour. The final form has an unintended side effect: hit it with a small mallet, and it rings like a tuning fork.
The pink foam model above really expresses how thin the ultimate version of this form could be, I played it safe due to strength of the casting
Boston, MA