Client: Indianapolis Museum of Art

Location: Indianapolis, IN, United States

Completion date: 2014

Artwork budget: $100,000

Project Team

Industry Resource

Sopheap Pich

Overview

Indianapolis Fabrications collaborated with Sopheap Pich in the realization of the “A Room” installation in the Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The project occupied a 26-foot diameter circular space in the atrium of the IMA and consisted of nearly 1,200 bamboo, cast urethane and aluminum strips, extending 40 feet from the atrium’s ceiling to floor.

Goals

The goal of this project was the commissioned artwork.

Process

Pich wanted Indianapolis Fabrications to produce artificial bamboo elements to combine with the natural bamboo in the project. Using bamboo supplied by the artist, we produced silicon rubber molds to cast 2800 colored urethane plastic reproductions - each custom color matched to cast off plastic parts found in Cambodia. Pich also wanted to incorporate cast aluminum elements. Working with the Herron School of Art and Design Sculpture Department, the aluminum was cast at the school and metal finished at iFab. Once all the elements were complete, iFab also assisted the IMA installation crew in the 2 week assembly of the work.

Additional Information

As part of the development of the project, Brian McClutcheon from Indianapolis Fabrications made a 3 week trip to Cambodia to work with Pich to aid in project development, to build a small foundry for Pich to cast scrap aluminum in his own studio and instruct his assistants in mold making techniques.