Ball Nogues Studio
Cabinet of Obsolescence
LOCATION: Fort Dodge Middle School, Fort Dodge, IA
Year: July 2017
Artist: Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues - Los Angeles, CA
Immediately upon graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 2016, I worked as a fabricator at Ball Nogues Studio in Los Angeles to further interests I had developed during my four years of study in digital fabrication and material research. The studio is constantly pushing the boundaries through its focus on experimenting with novel materials and fabrication methods in its architectural/installation projects.
During my time at BNS, I assisted with the construction of several large-scale architectural sculpture installations, including the Cabinet of Obsolescence, an interactive art piece containing obsolete items in eight illuminated, glass-faced display cabinets that comprise part of the large, winding installation.
Beyond gaining significant experience operating a large-scale CNC mill, I also gained a better awareness of how things are assembled. By working in such a hands-on workshop environment I gained greater manual and digital fabrication skills and an appreciation for a more innovative approach to construction and design.
Final Design Render showing the cabinet installed on location at Fort Dodge Middle School.
A diagram I created to indicate the position of each machined foam block along the snaking steel structure.
Initial stages of fabrication.
Each steel section has been bent at an off-site custom metal fabricators. The entire structure will be pre-assembled and fabricated at the Ball Nogues workshop before being shipped in prefabricated parts to Fort Dodge, Iowa.
While the construction process is underway, each section of the total installation will need to be worked on independently. To facilitate access, a complex series of trusses and supports comprise the formwork that will support the entire installation during the prefabrication process.
High Density EPS foam boards are delivered to the Ball Nogues Studio. The foam enclosure to the steel will be cut in sections from these sheets. Thicknesses are tailored to avoid material waste.
This image illustrates how the foam is fitted around the steel skeleton.
The two halves of the foam casing are bonded around the steel using expanding foam.
Cinch straps are used to hold the foam pieces in place while the expanding foam sets. This ensures a tight bond.
Professional foam carvers, typically employed in the film industry for set production, were hired to sculpt the roughly cut CNC foam pieces into their final form. The leftmost image shows the foam once it has been carved with a hot-wire. The ridges left behind by the hot wire element are sanded away using a rasp (right).
The foam once it has been fully sanded.
The final step of the fabrication requires spraying the entire structure with rhino liner polyurethane spray-on coating. This forms a rigid shell around the foam that stand up to wear and tear and will protect the sculpture from damage.
The completed cabinet of obsolescence installed on site in Fort Dodge Middle School. The students have populated the shelves with their chosen objects.