Art Installation Proposal

Written By Todd Pashak

tuftedjaydesign

Art Installation Proposal

Concept: Designed and rendered in SolidWorks 2022 with PhotoView 360. Artwork is my own

Last week, I was contacted by a local landscape architecture firm to provide a quote for designing and building a structure intended to hold art in a quadriptych* fashion for public display in Denver.

Top-Level Requirements:

  • The structure must hold four 18-inch wide by 60-inch tall panels.

  • The panels should pivot around a central axis.

  • The overall structure should be 9 to 10 feet long.

  • The structure should be 7 to 8 feet high.

  • The structure needs to be collapsible for storage and transport.

  • It must withstand the outdoor environment in Denver, CO, including:

    • Wind gusts of up to 115 mph

    • Sun exposure

    • Rain

  • The panels must have a rotation lock, which was a challenge due to the wind gust requirement.

  • The structure will be built with Baltic Birch plywood.

Unfortunately, on the morning the proposal was due, the end client decided to remove this structure from the project scope. Despite this, I had invested a significant amount of work into the design and proposal, so I sent it in anyway to receive feedback. Going through the proposal process was valuable for me, as I enjoyed the design process and learned a lot. I am proud of the design and hope that the firm may find use for it with another client.

Design Concept:

The concept I developed is a modular 5-foot long, two-panel system that can be linked with other sections to create a wall as long as the client desires. The entire structure collapses, allowing the panels and vertical members to fit within the lower structure for easy storage and transport. The structure uses CNC-cut pieces alongside other components that can be cut on a table saw. The vertical supports are off-the-shelf schedule 40 pipe and fittings to keep costs down.

For the panel lock, I designed a thumb screw mechanism that allows the panel to "lock" in rotation but releases at a certain point to relieve wind loading, effectively turning the panel into a wind vane. My only concern with this design is the potential risk if someone is near the panels when they rotate. However, I spaced the panels far enough apart to prevent any pinch hazards.

Below are some sketches and renderings I created for the proposal. While there is still some design work left to be done, the concept is nearly complete.

*Yes I had to look up this term, I knew diptych and triptych were terms used in the art world, how high do they go?

Tufted Jay Design LLC

Concept for moving and storing the installation. This is meant to be only a temporary piece that gets setup for events.

Concept Sketches

Tufted Jay Design LLC

Some concepts I explored before diving into SolidWorks. How much time do you waste worry about the small stuff in CAD before the full picture is even considered? Sketching is a much quicker way to communicate design intent than CAD. I am very fast in CAD, but even faster with a ball point pen!

Todd Pashak
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