Core77

A quick piece at Metropolis on Rick Smith, virtual architect. Here's a taste:

What is the process behind making a Serra sculpture?
When I began working with Richard, he�d already developed a method of model making using what he called a wagon wheel--two wooden discs, with identical elliptical shapes. He�d nail a 2x4 between them and rotate them so they were a top and bottom plate of plywood. Then he�d roll a sheet of lead on the ground, and that would define the outline of the metal plate. After that he would wrap the plate around the wagon wheel and that became his model. I would take that model and digitize it, so that it was in the computer. The problem was the metal was warped and bent, and when you digitized it you weren�t getting a pure ellipse. Eventually I said, �Instead of sending these big lead plates�--he�d send them in crates--�just fax me your dimensions: height, radius, angle.�