Pieces of OHM
“Pieces” was commissioned in the spring of 2021 for a condo at Eastman in Grantham, NH. The owners wanted something to activate the space and that spoke to their interests, cycling and music. It would be seen from two levels, the living room below, and the balcony above. It was important not to block the view and as a mobile, it was important that it be light enough to move. Also, it had to be mostly wood, both for esthetic preference and to keep it light.
After experimenting with various musical and bicycle forms, they presented to me a graphic of OHM which speaks to their interest in meditation. This became the basis for the forms I developed. The wheel they hang from ties back to cycling and forward to Buddhist “wheel of life”
Once I had a desigh in 3D studio, the next step was to make an actual model to see if it would work. I soldered wire for this. It still hangs in my studio. The process of construction kept me guessing if it would work until the very end.
Alan Watts wrote a book called “The Wisdom of Insecurity”. He says uncertainty is good. Sometimes I find it unnerving.
I did become wise in the ways of making wheels, soldering stainless steel rod, bending wood forms without steam and taking the next step. Often the next step is the only you may be lucky enough to see.

The wheel is 5' across I laid out the circle with a string and cut sections on a band saw and hot glued them to the floor

I had hoped that cabling the wheel would stabilize it. Not so. It sagged and wobbled like an old woman