PETER W. MICHEL, Sculptor   ●  Sculpture in Celebration of Self, Relationship and Community
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"Honoring the Onondaga Creek"
a public sculpture for the Valley neighborhood of Syracuse:
FABRICATION PROCESS PHOTOS
The Valley neighborhood of Syracuse, NY is partnering with The Syracuse Public Art Commission, the City of Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs and the Onondaga Nation to create a new public sculpture beside the Onondaga Creek to celebrate the abundance of it's past and their restoration intentions for its future.
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See photos of the steps in the fabrication process below:   (For installation photos click here)
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Assembled at the fabricators  . Base prep work
Concrete work
Cutting
Assembly
Welding  
Grinding
Paint prep
Painting
Design photos
 		 . The painted fish The painted fish The painted fish
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The sculpture is assembled at TRS in East Syracuse - checking to make sure everything fits as it should.  
Some of the angles need some adjustments.  One of the bolt holes was missing and was quickly drilled.
The water structure The water structure - detail
The water structure will be welded together as one unit. Water structure detail
the fish The fish
The fish The fish (view 2)
Angle connections The fish
The connector angles - connecting the fish to the water. The fish (view 3)
the sculpture assembled The sculpture assembled
The sculpture assembled - prior to welding and painting View 2 (note the model in the background)

Welding the creek elements Welding the creek elements
Welding the creek elements Welding the creek elements
Welding the creek elements Welding the creek elements
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Mark, our welder a tack weld a weld
Marc, our welder A tack weld to start things off A fillet weld with smooth ground top

Welded connection ground smooth Marc grinding smooth the welds
Welded connection ground smooth Marc grinding smooth the welds
The creek element
 The foot
The creek element Foot connection to the concrete slab

The fish The fish ready for painting
The fish have been sanded ready for paint prep. Degreasing and priming are next.
The creek elements sanded The creek elements primed
The creek elements sanded - ready for primer The creek elements primed

The paint booth The fish in the paint booth
The fish in the paint room The fish in the paint room
The orange fish Magenta and green fish Red fish
The orange and yellow fish The magenta and green fish The red fish
magenta fish yellow fish the person



The creek elements The creek elements
The creek elements the water
the connecting angles The person's head
The connecting angles The person's head
Sorting the angles for each fish The painted nuts and bolts
Sorting the angles for each fish The painted nuts and bolts
Assembled at the fabricators The fish assembled
Assembled at TRS in East Syracuse The fish assembled
The aluminum parts were cut by North Eastern Water Jet Inc. in Amsterdam, NY and
shipped to TRS in East Syracuse, the company that is doing the welding and painting.
Parts have arrived at TRS in East Syracuse Parts have arrived at TRS in East Syracuse


The Fish The water structure - ribs
The 12 fish have been numbered
to facilitate assembly		 The water structure, the lateral ribs have been
numbered to facilitate assembly

The concrete pour for the sculpture base took place June 9th, 2011:
thanks to the crew from the Skilled Trades Division of the City of Syracuse Department of Public Works.
Concrete work for sculpture base - 1 Concrete work for sculpture base - 2
Ready for the pour Pouring the concrete for the sculpture base
Concrete work for sculpture base - 3 Concrete work for sculpture base - 4
Placing the reinforcing bars Adding & vibrating the concrete to avoid air pockets
Concrete work for sculpture base - 5 Concrete work for sculpture base - 6
Leveling the slab Ready for finishing
Concrete work for sculpture base - 7 Concrete work for sculpture base - 8
Finishing the surface The finished base - the curing process begins
Form work has been removed  Form work has been removed
The concrete formwork has been removed  
Form work for the concrete base
The form work for the concrete base is in place
Form work for the concrete base
The concrete base will be set on a bed of gravel.
Reinforcing in place for concrete slab
Reinforcing steel is in place for concrete pour.
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See photos of the design
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(Also see small desktop & wall mounted fish sculptures for sale in support of the
Valley Neighborhood Public Art Project)
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© 1997/2010 by Peter W. Michel                Posted 6-04-2011   updated 7-26-14
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 Peter W. Michel, sculptor ● 185 Brookside Lane ● Fayetteville, NY 13066 ● 315-632-4780 ● peter@petermichel.com