Page 38 - BSAM 2015 Q3
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Top left and right; The carved area is filled with wet paper— to maintain humidity during the following months—and then wrapped with wet raffia and plastic wrap to prevent dehydration.
Middle; Winding in the direction that I’m going to bend the branch in order
to tighten the coils when bending. This type of wiring does not function to bend but rather to keep the fibers of the wood tightly packed together to avoid breakage and to help distribute the tension at the anchor point.
Bottom; I bend the branch
to the desired point and my hands “feel” the flexibility of the wood, helping me understand how much force I dare apply.
Facing page, top; The same operation is also performed in the other two branches to be able to lower them and specifi- cally to create the backside of the design.
Facing page bottom; Main branches are bent and positioned, thinking of the various positions in which I’m going to place the secondary branches, while my assistants continue wiring all the fine branches.
36 | BCI | July/August/September 2015
