Client: GWL Realty Advisors
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
Completion date: 2018
Project Team
Industry Resource
Eventscape Inc.
Artist
Studio How to See
Art Consultant
Public Art Management
Overview
A series of playful, oversized white snowmen complete with hats and carrot noses grace the exterior of The Livmore, a new 43-story apartment building in Toronto.
Goals
Called “Born and Raised”, the sculptures are nestled close to the building next to the sawtooth-pattern lobby windows. Built of fiberglass with steel rod center cores, this public art “snow” sculpture.
Process
Eventscape was contracted to engineer, fabricate and install all 4 sculpture elements. There are 3 “snowmen” all made out of “heads” with various expressions and torsos. The largest of the snowmen, with five spheres, stands 17-feet tall. The two others were built with 3 spheres each, but one of the sculptures has its head and toque on the ground as if it has toppled off. All were built of fibreglass with steel rod centre cores. The original 3D mesh file received from the artist was transformed into a digital scale model by Eventscape’s designers. The model was further broken down into machinable sections to be milled on the 5-axis CNC machine. Three to four sections per sphere were created from high density milling foam. These sections were glued together and a 1/4” layer of color-tinted fiberglass applied over the top. The milling of the form was done slightly deeper to accommodate the fiberglass which could have smoothed out the organic quality of the form. A 2-part epoxy finish coating was applied for consistent color, UV protection and durability.
Additional Information
The carrot was one of the most interesting parts to build. The artist wanted a realistic looking carrot so the Eventscape project manager scoured the stores to find the largest carrot she could that had the desired shape. The carrot was 3D scanned and enlarged in scale to create a 3D print. This was then used to create a silicone mold. The rubber was color-tinted to achieve the right shade of orange and poured into the mold with a center threaded rod.