For 40 years I had been working in my studio, selling pieces mostly one by one except for four commissions for larger groupings but all were within driving distance. After many e-mails, telephone conferences, and a visit from the designer from Abu Dhabi, I was committed to completing two huge commissions in 2014: one to fill two spaces in the Yas Mall with 62 paper sculptures; and another to make a 100-foot-long red ceiling sculpture, inspired by a bullfighter's cape. Handmade paper is an ideal material for making large three-dimensional forms that feel light and airy. I have a vocabulary of forms that I can raise up out of a flat, wet sheet depending on the shape and structure of the bamboo frame that I sandwich between two layers of paper. In the short window of time before the paper dries and starts to wrinkle, I fine-tune the sculpture, reacting quickly and directly. Through a combination of planning and improvisation, I am able to create forms I have never dreamt of or seen before. The sculptures are essentially paper skins supported by thin bamboo, which from a construction point of view is not the strongest structure. Sculptural Paper Installations Nevertheless, the pieces are very durable. During the installation of several commissions, pieces have fallen down or gotten hit by a crane but the pieces have not been damaged. To hang the piece, I use 2-millimeter-thick Perlon, a polyamide nylon line that is resistant to burning and abrasion and has high tensile strength. A single sculpture can be about 9 feet long, and weigh 3 kilos on average. After deciding how to hang the piece, I choose a strong area of the sculpture to attach the hanging line. I reinforce the area by gluing cotton gauze and several layers of paper over it. Then I poke a small hole and pass the hanging line through it. When the sculpture is bigger, I attach the hanging line to one or more central spots inside the form by reinforcing those points and connecting them with the hanging line, thus spreading the weight. For the Abu Dhabi installation, the combination of 20-foot-long hanging lines and a strong air conditioning system results in the constant swinging and turning of the sculptures. This kinetic aspect is part of the excitement of the installation but also very demanding on the materials and craftsmanship. To keep the Perlon line from twisting, I use Sampo fishing swivels with ball bearings between the line coming out of the piece and the hanging line. This allows the sculpture to spin around without weakening the hanging line. To fasten the Perlon, I use small soft metal cylinders, which I pull over the double line and then squeeze tightly with a special set of pliers. Shipping the sculpture to Abu Dhabi and to Orlando were expensive propositions. To save on shipping costs, I took the advice of a friend who ships large cargo by sea freight. Instead of having crates made, I simply packed the sculptures directly into a climate controlled sea container. I wrapped each piece in a numbered cloth bag and carefully piled them into a container for shipping to Abu Dhabi, and another one destined for Orlando. To map out the Orlando installation, I placed the sculptural segments on a cloth, and traced the design. It was a challenge to get the pieces to fit on the cloth because the individual pieces were dramatically shaped waves. They had to fit into each other like a threedimensional jigsaw puzzle. I started at one end with a piece, temporarily connecting each additional piece as it was drying to one side of an already dried piece. I sprayed each piece top and bottom with flame retardant, a water-based solution of salt-like chemicals. I numbered each segment with corresponding numbers on the cloth map. During the installation in Orlando at the restaurant I put the pieces on the map on the floor and started installing the pieces working from the middle to the ends, connecting them with nuts, bolts, and 1½-inch-diameter rings. I spent a week in the Four Seasons, together with a friend, hanging the pieces from metal chains and connecting the individual pieces to form one flowing cape. An important lesson learned: Insist on installing the work after construction is completed. I hung the installation in the Yas Mall in March 2014, then had to make a return trip in September for repairs and cleaning after they finished the building. In November 2014 my wife Pat and I went for the grand opening and enjoyed seeing the pieces in the finished, clean environment with most of the retail stores open and visitors walking through the space, looking up at the installation, and taking pictures. It seems that commissions will be keeping me busy for a while. I am already working on my next installation for a hospital in California due to open in the summer of 2015. And I also have serious inquires from a cruise ship, a fashion company, and the new Dubai opera house which is scheduled to open in 2016.
