This wire sculpture and model was commissioned by writer and composer Joël Tibbits to represent a concept called “Spherical Dynamism” in his epic work, "The Books of Magra." He describes this as a multi-volume epic and sonic ecosystem devoted to the exploration of consciousness.
Materials
Processes
A challenging design
I created wire sculptures based on Joël Tibbits’ designs, but although the idea was simple and the project was laid out on paper, the three-dimensional aspect of it presented a challenge.
author-composer joël tibbits asks about the creation process
Making Fibreboard jigs to create the spheres
These fibreboard jigs created the template for the spheres. Before drawing on the board, I had to be sure that I had the dimensions and form right. The right-hand image was the trial run of the middle sphere.
No shame in errors - this is how we learn
The sculpture required three twists of the wire on a small ball and on the two large wire circles.
I started with the small circle in the middle, twisted it in place beside each large circle, only to realize that I had to put the circle inside. The wire, which I initially twisted only twice, required one extra twist to make the design work and position the smaller sphere correctly, inside the two large spheres.
Of course, I don't charge for hiccups, and I share my mistakes so that they become learning moments for my readers and me, teaching us not to feel bad but to learn from what happens.
modified vise-grips for silver-soldering
The wire sculpture came together as I started to silver-solder the joints. However, the hoops collapsed, so I had to modify the vise-grip clamp.
My challenge was making a jig to allow me to silver-solder the open connections. (A jig is a device that holds the position of a piece of work and guides the tools operating on it.)
attaching the wires with hairpins
I temporarily attached the wires with hairpins to keep them in place, allowing me to see the wire loops in their proper positions.
final base and sculpture
Finally, I created a base and a stand for this model. I made the stand from medium-density fiberboard, affixed a green felt pad to the bottom and painted the base matte black to accentuate the spheres.
The spheres illustrate the concept in TBOM called “Spherical Dynamism.” It’s a way of representing and visualizing the written words and music.
To learn more about our friend Joël Tibbits and his creative endeavours, click on these links for The Books of Magra website, Instagram for Joël Tibbits, and Instagram for The Books of Magra.