The 12′ square slab is the existing site. The 16 2x4x8″ bricks are to ensure free flow of air and to keep the wood from lying in pools of water.
Currently I’m hoping to make the mirror box using 22 gauge mirror-polished stailess steel. I’m still not sure if it is cost effective. But if it is, it solves a lot of issues.
It becomes a simple light-weight stand-alone object that can be easily installed.
It can lie flat on the concrete needing no water barrier.
It could be removed to repair or polish yearly.
I’m thinking this is an experiment that may evolve each year.
8 Wedge Anchors (3/8″ x 4″) and an angle bracket, ancher the cedar wood platform to the concrete. The anchor locations are shown here.
The deck is most easily created by using 4 8′ x4′ cedar decks purchased though Home Depot. A cedar shelf will be attached to the hole created by the four decks. It will need to be 1″ down from the deck surface and all the way around the 4′ hole. The shelf board is 2 1/2″ x 1″ and it tapers slightly alow the thin walls of the stailess steel was to have some support.
There is a 1/4″ gap from the top of the stainless walls to the bottom of the 1″ thick clear plexiglass cap. The cap does not ever rest on the stainless steel mirror box. It rests on the shelf boards.
The shelf board will need a series of notches to allow air to flow through the mirror box. These notches will need to be made to not let water collect in the mirror box.
The clear plexiglass square needs to be removable but not obviously removable. We can make a special tool for removal.
The benches can be altered in length somewhat…not sure what they should be.
The lights are purchasable to around $100. If we still want the light to shine under the benches, we can cut a hole in the sides turn them around while still angling the solar cells out and up.
Mirrored Stainless Steel
4′ x 6′ x 22 gauge (.644mm … about 3/128″)
$212 + $60 for 4 shear cuts
4′ x 6′ x 20 gauge (.812mm … 1/32″)
$266 + $60 for 4 shear cuts
4′ x 6′ x 18 gauge (1.024mm … 3/64″)
$319 + $60 for 4 shear cuts
4′ x 6′ x 16 gauge (1.291mm … 3/64″)
$392 + $60 for 4 shear cuts
Acrylic Mirror
Home Depot
4′ x 4′ x 1/8″ – $195
2′ x 4′ x 1/8″ – $93
Pros & Cons
The mirror part of the box can be totally separate from the rest of the sculpture, just lying on the concrete and not supporting any weight. The 1″ plexiglass will be supported by a 1×4″ cedar board attached to the 4 sides of the deck modules.
Glass Mirror
Home Depot
4′ x 84′ – $663
Glass is probably out if we have a center post, plus glass is the most expensive.
Plexi is the hardest to keep clean, I think.
Stainless (if 22 gauge does not slump) Is actually the least expensive. Maybe.
I’m trying to work out the best way to construct this mirror box. Here are some of the issues.
- What will give the best effect. Flush with the deck makes the side about 6″ tall. We are considering raising the box to make it 12″ or 18″
- The angle of the side is another variable. We are considering 5, 7 and 9 degrees. The smaller the angle the larger the sphere will be.
- The effect needs to be maximized when an average person is sitting on a bench.
- If the mirror box is raised:
- It will get less foot traffic and last longer.
- We might be able to use 1/2″ plexiglass instead of 1″ saving about $400.
- Another issue is will the box fog up if sealed. Do we vent it with slots just in the wood just below the plexiglass? Will it need fans to circulate the air?
Here is what I’m doing to answer these questions.
- I experimenting with a 1 foot square model to determine the best angle and whether it needs to be raised.
- To determine if it will fog:
- I’m talking with the plexiglass manufacturers.
- I’m asking Hadi or engineer.
- Experiment with the 1 foot square model.
- To determine what thickness is needed for the plexiglass top:
- I’m talking with the plexiglass manufacturers.
- I’m asking Hadi or engineer.
Project Description: We propose to build an 8” tall cedar deck on the 12′ square concrete slab. In the center will be a 4′ square opening featuring a “mirror box,” covered with a clear walkable surface.
The mirror will reflect the sky and when viewed from a seated position, the tapered sides will bounce the reflections infinitely, creating an optical illusion which turns the sky into a giant sphere.
A one inch thick clear plexiglass square will cap the mirror box. The surface of the scratch-resistant plexiglass will be flush with the surface of the deck boards. The mirror box will be a sealed unit, avoiding any issues of harm to the public or mirror breakage. The only maintenance will be keeping the surface plexiglass clean.
At night the benches will light up from under the seats, by way of LED lighting strips powered by solar panels embedded in the sides of the benches.
We see this as a three-season artwork. It is possible that the clear plexiglass window will need to be replaced each season. Therefore we are designing the sculpture to be easily maintained. Replacing the Window is a one day job.
I expect this to be rejected. But maybe it’s not that crazy an idea. Siah often included text in his artworks. I would like to engrave a poem into the edges of the seats. The Poem is 4 short line, one on each of the four seats. the poem goes like this:
You’re a cat, remember that.
Is is is, and that is that.
Just be yourself, and you will see,
That you are you, and I am me.
What do you think?
Here are earlier versions…I still like the traditional benches.
