General Information
Title: Eden Prairie Grass
By: Remo Campopiano & Lisa Roy (Concept by Remo Campopiano)
Date: July 31, 2023
Location: 8300 Commonwealth Dr, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Dimensions: 28′ x 6′ x 6′
Materials: Galvanized & stainless steel, and 3d-printed ASA filament.
Budget: $25,000
Design Problem
There was one difficult problems to solve. How to create a kinetic sculpture large enough to command the large open courtyard, given the small budget.
Material Considerations
We originally wanted it to be all stainless steel. However, the cost of stainless compared to galvanized, made using stainless impractical. Plus galvanized is 17% stronger than stainless, which meant we could get the desired height of 28 feet.
Original Design Intent
The original intent was to create a large-scale public artwork that could be built entirely by ourselves in the studio. Although we did not fully achieve this goal, we did about half of the work in-studio. The extraordinary height needed was the reason for needing outside help.
The other goal was to create the aesthetics of the sculpture primarily with a 3d printer. This has one major imitation, the bed-size and height is about 10″ x 10″ x 10″. So it would have to be modular. In the next section I will show how were broke down the sculpture into modules.
Another issue is we had to overcome durability outdoors. The easiest filament to 3d print is PLA, but it is highly susceptible to breakdown via UV rays. The only filament made to last outdoors is ASA. But to print with ASA is very difficult without an enclosure. Since we are dedicated to the Prusa brand of printers we bought a Prusa enclosure, which we highly recommend.
Modular Construction
We employed a modular system consisting of, from top down; Seedpod, Wire, Sheath, Rod, Plug, Pipe, down to Retainer Pipe. Below are the specifications for each.
Seedpod
The seedpods are all the same size, approximately 6.5 inches tall, by .5 inch in diameter. They are printed vertically in groups of 9 pods connected with a 1/16″ x 1/16″ bridge between them. The bridge keeps them stable during fast shifts in the printer bed. The bridges are easily cut away with an x-acto knife. The are printer in groups of 27 pods at a time, which takes just under 24 hours. This sculpture requires 444 seedpods.
Wire
The wires are all 3/32″ stainless steel. No wire is longer that 14.5″ long, or shorter than 9 inches. The top of the wire traverses 5.5″ into the bottom of seedpod. The fit is slightly loose so that it can easily be epoxied to the seedpod.
Sheath
They vary in length and diameter according to which rod diameter they are associated with. With the exception of the one 3/8″ diameter sheath, all sheaths accept 9 seedpod-wire assemblies, 3 in the top and 6 in the sides. The one exception accepts 12.
Rods
The robs have 3 diameters; 3/8″, 5/16″ and 1/4″. The one 3/8″ rod is only used in the center pipe and, according to engineering calculations, can be no longer than 74″ long; 5/16″, no longer that 57″; and 1/4″ no longer than 38″.
Plugs
There are two plug sizes. The one, 1.25″ pipe accepts the plug with 7 rod holes. The seven 1″ pipes accepts the plug with 6 rod holes. All rods traverse 4″ into the plug. The fit is slightly loose to be epoxied into the plug. The plug is not epoxied into the pipes, instead it is held in place with two side screws. This allows for easy maintenance or replacement if needed.
Pipes
The one 1.25″ pipe is the center and tallest pipe, measuring 10 feet. The remaining 7 pipes are 1″ in diameter and range from 9′ 4″ down to 5′ 4″. They are epoxied onsite during installation. All pipes are SCH40 steel.
