Initial Work- Just after "The Creation of Texas" was selected for the New Airport carving began on scavenged stones. Soon forging and fabrication of major ironwork elements was underway. Elements began to be culled for inclusion from other similar projects. Much work got done precontract, against official advice, but it was felt safer if art didn't wait on paperwork. A vital test bed for the airport sculpture was a major gate at Zilker Botanical Gardens. We learned many new ways to extend excellence within tiny budgets and official resistance.
Final design features slowly emerged from the fog of study. Two dimensional concept sketches gave way to the tangible plan presented tonight. The goal was to play up the noble qualities of limestone and iron to daring heights, to levitate monstrous masses of carved limestone with magical ironwork, in service of the wildest native Texas spirit.
Present Phase- Upon the first payment for materials and construction, the artists stand ready to bring in the remaining stones from Armadillo Quarry. Various other projects are underway involving megaliths, so we aim to save money by batching stone, shipping, and crane expenses. Soon a row of towering stones will be visible east from I-35 at fifth street.
Check out research on the Goddess Figure.
The sculpture is to (playfully) reflect Texas's deep historical realities, so considerable research has taken place. Notable resources include the web, Republic of Texas Museum. LBJ Library current Tejano exhibit, Benson Library, DTR Alamo library, and UT Professor David Montejano's work.
Some gems from the hundreds studied so far, which amuse, inform, and inspire the artists-
Pre Republic foundations of identity- The first Lone Star known was on coins struck by Jose Antonio de la Garza, San Antonio's postmaster, 1818.
Early Documentation of "Slacker Philosophy"- "The doors of the cabins of the real natives stood open wide, if indeed they exist at all, and many were the family pictures of jollity or sleepy comfort they displayed to us as we sauntered curious about.... a free and easy, loploppy sort of life generally, seemed to have been adopted as possessing, on the whole, the greatest advantages for a reasonable being." Fredrick Law Omstead, 1857, San Antonio.
The artists will continue to push the envelope of masterly technique in stone and iron.
Iron- New joining patterns for bent tube sleeve sets will increase strength and beauty of large scroll elements. By saving cutoffs in sleeve sets, BendCo. of Houston should be able to save us the tedium of bending our own pipe, as in previous projects. We will be extending the language of massive power hammered forgings in narrative elements.
Stone- The artists aspire to rival the great classic and renaissance figurative carving traditions with the help of technology, including 3D scanning of models, CAD manipulation, and layout devices.
Glass- We hope to incorporate hot glass lenses and light pipes into stone and iron work as luminous details.
This sculpture may represent the only place at the new airport where Austin Artisans are encouraged to create freely. It is anticipated that many artisans will join the effort, as it intensifies, and show how architectural artisans might enhance future civic architecture projects.
The following are a loose core group, based on past collaboration, who have been invited to participate: Iron work- Tom Lupton, Nick Brumder, Dennis Ford, David Perez, Texas Artists Blacksmiths Association, Balcones Forge. Stone work- Jeep, Joseph, Holly Kincannon, Archaic, Elizabeth Ney students and alumni. Any one is welcome.
1 big iron, 1 small iron, & 1 big stone Rattlesnake/ 3 iron & 3 stone Armadillos/ 1 big stone Alligator/ 1 big stone Panther/ 1 big stone & metal Alamo/ 1 big stone "Columbia Tejana" Goddess/ 1 big stone sunburnt Spaniard (Cabeza de Vaca)/ 1 big stone TexMex Indian (Cortina, Seguin, Vasconcelos combined)/ 1 big stone Sam Houston/ 1 medium stone Redneck-Yuppie/ 5 big stone cyclonic vortices/ 1 small iron airplane/ 3 large iron Roses/ 3 large stone Roses/ 50 iron and stone prickly pears/ 100 feet assorted scrollwork/ 1 small iron Lone Star/ 1 large stone Longhorn/ 1 medium Mustang and Vaquero/ 1 large iron Scorpion.
The drawings submitted contain suitably defined structural units with detailed specifications. Terry Ortiz, P.E., is poised to take the final design as approved and provide required engineering services to the project.
Project artists will be demonstrating stone and metal work for the sculpture at area schools and hosting field trips to shops. Some of the resources used include fully mobile welding and blacksmithing equipment, including a portable forge, and educational websites geared toward families. It is also a goal to provide internships for young artists beginning careers.
The artists intend to reactivate the Joe Perez fund of the Austin Community Foundation, subject to its guidelines. By matching public dollars with private ones, greater quality and scope of work is enjoyed by future generations of Austinites.
The artists intend that the sculpture stand as a new standard for public art work in Austin, as delivered to the city by opening day.
There was an unexplained city delay of several months in releasing this contract compared with other artists. Artists have worked to minimize impact of city delays, but ask, out of fairness, that requests to carve enhancements in public (past opening day) be allowed at least to the the extent of any confirmed city delay.
The artists are requesting that the planter box concrete floor be mounded up to raise the sculpture out of the planter bed as determined in consultation with New Airport Team, sculpture engineer. This thickened pad would be approximately 8' x 8' at top, 10' x 10' at base, as located on site plan.
Lighting and electrical requirements- a) two flood lights with artist provided dioptric colored filters hung from upper deck and b) an electrical drop in the vicinity of sculpture for possible active elements.
The artist team will be officially requesting that the sculpture be allowed to be placed along airport entrance drive, in preference to the deplaning planter box on the grounds that 1) The sculpture would be more effective away from the cook book architecture of the enplaning overpass, parking garage, and terminal. 2) Issues raised by Aviation Department regarding ongoing carving near the terminal would be eliminated. 3) The work would fill a void left by the cancellation of ghastly granite paneled planter bed and fountain at the Airport entrance. 4) Charles Umlauf's first major commission at Love Field, Dallas, and Luis Jimenez's biggest commission to date, at Denver's new airport, are both placed away from terminal along approach drive. Cost and complexity to artists and the city would be reduced by staying away from airport terminal during final build-out. 5) The projected life of the sculpture is greater than the airport. Setting it apart would prevent future accommodation issues from costing the taxpayer or endangering the work.
The team will continue to seek and comply with city requirements in allowing a phase of light public carving after opening, and asks for AIPP support for the concept of public art production in public view.
Artists intend to comply with whatever agreements are in effect, as this request is moves forward and hope AIPP will support these artist requests.
"Creation of Texas" Website- http://www.polycosmos.org/alta/sculptur/txcreate.htm
Monumental Gates as a test bed for airport work- http://www.polycosmos.org/jumpstar/gate.htm
Flying Robots at the New Airport- http://www.polycosmos.org/alta/sculptur/flying.htm
Original Proposal for "the Creation of Texas"- http://www.polycosmos.org/alta/sculptur/txcreat1.htm
Final Concept Renderings, Earlier Concept Renderings, Related Project Images, Site Plan, Ironwork Samples, Work photos.
The panel is invited to make any final suggestions for the team to address. The most helpful would be artistic or technical critique that forces growth.