A Burden the Hand

Still In Production

Designed to swing between two trees, this 1;12 scale model of the human hand was built with a steel structure clad in recycled Rimu framing timber. With the appropriate rigging it is strong enough to support as many people as can fit in the palm of its..

Hands up for everyone involved in the build and installations so far, this one really wouldn't have been possible without the help of some incredible friends, family and fans of my art.

And it's still not finished. Although functioning and safe, there are a few steps before it's aesthetically complete.

The timber is coated in a natural furniture oil, though it can be finished with a hardy exterior prouct when completed.

The Process

Steel boxing was used for the chassis and the form of each finger then shaped from 16mm rebar.

Rebar on the palm and wrist allowed me to shape the intricate forms and directions of the hand. Using my own left hand as a reference i was able to take measurements of any element to then scale by 12.

1:12 scale ended up being the largest it could be while still fitting on my truck.

3mm flatbar was shaped and welded to the rebar, forming returns i could screw the strips of Rimu to.

The strips were repped down to varying thicknesses, This meant i could add strength to the load-bearing flater sections of the hand and use the thinner strips for the intricate bending.

The strips are attached with self taping screws onto the faltbar similar to decking.

Originally the plan was to have only one layer of Rimu with exposed screws. It was around this point that i decided i woud be adding a second layer of rimu for strength. This meant less worrying about spacing the strips or smaller cracks.

Avoiding painting meant we could do any last minute welds, such as adding the scaffold poles to the undersided of the chassis. These were the final element of the hanging system and needed to run the entire length of the sculpture.

Eventually we were able to paint the steel. Firstly treating any rust on the rebar and welds we then began priming and painting.

The tips of the fingers and other tight bends were made with extra thin strips glued and screwed. In some of these areas the strips will be double or even tripled for strength.

Recycled oregon cedar ply was used for the fingernails. Reclaimed from a house of similar age to the one where i got the Rimu,

Because i built this for a specific event, i had a deadline to meet and so needed to cut some corners.

This meant using more glues and bog to quickly attach the final pieces.

Originally the design was to be more organic and not overuse these kinds of products. Though having the sculpture functioning and safe and secure for the event deadline meant doing whatever it took.