Picture if you will an artist concepting a piece of large-scale art inside a cluttered office space. It’s beautifully intricate and will make a great addition to any public space to attract onlookers. There’s one problem. How would you bring this Godzilla-sized masterpiece to life? The answer is custom fabrication professionals.
For over 25 years, EG Structural has been reimagining how communities engage with public art. We take pride in highlighting the best of one’s community through functional large-scale art installations. However, none of this would be possible without the hard work and dedication of the custom fabrication experts we partner with on our projects. They’re the unsung heroes and this article is meant to help you understand why they’re so vital in public art.
Fabrication Engineers Answer the Age-Old Artistic Question, “How Will We Do This?”
“How will we do this?” This question haunts every public artist after concepting an exciting idea. Fortunately, there’s usually an answer in the form of a custom fabrication professional.
When you partner with fabrication engineers you’re provided with the support and knowledge needed to effectively bring your idea to life. They’re simply paramount in the installation process as they’ll know how to situate your large-scale art securely and accurately with respect to the concept.
Custom Fabrication Meets Innovations
Just like with any structural build, you’re bound to face some challenges. Fabrication engineers are experts in solving the smallest obstacles to canyon-sized challenges. They’re knowledgeable in the best techniques to identify, solve, and maintain solutions to ensure art projects go off without a hitch. Additionally, they’re just as creative as the artist themselves by coming up with solutions that bring the artist’s concept to life.
One of the ways they’re able to achieve this is by using the latest technology. It’s not uncommon for custom fabrication professionals to use computer graphics, computer-aided engineering software, and geometry and object modeling to develop curve, surface, and object representations. These tools come in handy when figuring out the stability and reality of a public art build. Moreover, they’re used to identify problem areas and determine the best course of action to solve them.
Custom Fabrication Engineers Enhance The Artist’s Vision
According to The New York Times, “fabricating is a bit like producing a record; you are trying to enhance the artist’s vision, which is sometimes meticulously conceived and other times inchoate”. We’re artists, we don’t conceive our pieces with what materials we’ll use or how we’ll install them in mind. At least, not entirely. This is often an afterthought that isn’t considered until after conceptualization.
The artist will work with the fabrication engineer in developing a strategy and brainstorm ways to bring the art to life. This involves determining the overall look and feel of the sculpture piece by figuring out what materials should be used to construct the piece. Some materials EG Structural has used in its large-scale art includes:
- Foam
- Acrylics
- Plaster
- Steel
- LED lighting
- And much more
EG Structural Is Proud To Partner With Incredible Fabricators
A design means nothing without the help of custom fabrication engineers. They’re an incredible asset to the public artist and must secure the longevity and integrity of the structure. Whenever we work on a large-scale art project, we look to them for their knowledge and experience.
EG Structural is fortunate to have partnered with several wonderful individuals to design public art that highlights their unique communities. We combine intense research, strong conceptual design, custom fabrication, and engineering expertise to develop landmarks that inspire engagement. We help build an identity that exhibits what it means to be a part of a community. Contact us today to learn about our expertise and how we can help boost your identity.
