I finished installing Paper Mountain at Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art last week. After one year of planning, three months of folding paper cranes, and one week of installation with a team, it feels good to see the project come to life and to share it with others.
Below are two time lapse videos showing the installation process from Saturday night through Wednesday. I used GoPros to shoot one photo per minute for the duration of the installation. The first video was shot from the ground floor, and the second was shot from the mezzanine for a bird’s eye view. These are the steps we followed to install Paper Mountain:
- Assemble the scaffold (not for the faint of heart)
- Place tape on the floor to mark the footprint of the mountain
- Attach the wire fence to the ceiling trusses
- Tie fishing line to the wire
- Open each crane (fold wings down)
- Pierce the top of a crane with a needle
- Run fishing line through a crane
- Place crane at correct height
- Squeeze split shot (small lead weight) under the bird to hold it in place
- Repeat for each bird
- Inspect and make adjustments
- Trim fishing line underneath birds
- Sweep underneath the piece
- Light the piece
- Disassemble the scaffold (terrifying)
Beyond the Mountain is up at Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art until April 26, 2019. If you haven’t already, go see it! You’ll experience Paper Mountain, Sky Project, and paintings by me and Martha Armstrong.