The
double diver began five years ago when I posed a model in my New York City studio. The first
challenge was how to pose a model in a handstand upside down. It's not just the pose that's
important, but it's how to tell the story of integrity, trust, and teamwork when the final
piece that I want to sculpt is actually two divers vertically connected at ankles and hands.
The sculpture is so unique the new methodologies had to be invented to create it. It is the first
of its kind and not just a remarkable artwork, I am told, but a gravity-defying feat of engineering.
I then mix silicone in equal parts and apply it to my model. When the silicone is set, I make a hard
jacket over the silicone so that when I remove it from the model it has a form to rest in. This
form is then filled with plaster which becomes the actual art. My work doesn't just mimic what the
human body can do. I want to take the sculpture to another level so the plaster positive I make
from the live casting has to speak, it has to connect, it has to have a motion because you can
cast a person, but the final piece has to be more than just a casting. I start this process a second
time, this time with the model posing with his arms up as if holding the ankles of the first model
doing the handstand. Both plaster pieces of art need to be cut and pieced together so that they
form an S shape. Once I'm satisfied with the piece, the sculpture is then scaled up digitally to 26
feet and printed in foam. The finished foam arrived in my studio in more than 26 pieces. None of the
pieces had any detail. After I assembled them, I had to fill all the holes in the foam and sculpt
all lifelike details back in. When this process was finished and the sculpture is now a detailed
foam sculpture 26 feet high, I made a final rubber mold in several sections which all fit
together in a precision manner. This rubber mold was the one I sent to Bollinger Atelier to make
the bronze patterns to be used for my unique process I call painting with fire or dripped bronze.
I was then informed by the engineer I was using for this job that if I dripped the bronze into the
sandcast molds I made for these patterns, the bronze may become greater than 4,800 pounds which
would not meet the requirements necessary for this sculpture. With the help of Tom Bollinger,
we came up with a first time ever plan to drip the wax into thousands of organic shapes which I
would join together to become the 26 foot sculpture. I spent months at the Atelier working on this
wax. Once I finished all parts of the 26 foot double diver sculpture to my approval, another
mold, this time called a ceramic shell mold, was made over the wax. The shell mold has channels.
The molten bronze is poured into the shell and drips out of these channels forming the bronze
sculpture. The bronze sections get welded together and chased once again to perfection. Before they
are welded together a stainless steel armature is made. This armature is not ordinary steel but rather
steel that is so strong as to be able to hold the piece upright even in an earthquake. Countless
hours of design and engineering went into the double diver's armature. The next step for me
was to paint the surface of the piece with special iridescent colors that change with the light and
with the time of day. I used many shades of blues, purples and pinks and interspersed them with
thousands of overlapping ribbons of dripped organic polished bronze shapes. All parts were then
moved on a flatbed truck to the site building nine of NetApp's headquarters in Sunnyvale,
California. I stood there with my team, John Richie and David Brown, with Cameron Hand and my
gallerist Brigitte as well as NetApp's team Elizabeth and Paul waiting for the truck to arrive at
7 a.m. on April 10th. The crane came first and then the truck pulled up. The sculpture was all
wrapped in shiny protective wrap. When everything was in place little by little the sculpture was
erected and placed in position and then unwrapped. The double diver is the largest and most important
artwork I have created in my career. It has helped me push the boundaries of my talent. 4,800 pounds
rest gracefully on an S-shaped curve and six-inch wrists. One figure on the ground while a second
figure wraps the ankles of the first figure. The piece soars into the sky representing the
struggle to do the impossible with perseverance, trust and grace. A remarkable pedestal needed
to be constructed to hold this sculpture effortlessly and elegantly upon it. I created one with two
tiers in matte stainless steel. I loved working with NetApp and Elizabeth Arslaner, Tom Bollinger of
Bollinger Atelier and Brigitte of Sculpture Site Gallery to create my first public sculpture for
Silicon Valley. The sun came out and it lit the stunning surface not only brightening the piece but
our day as well and we all applauded. Today May 30th marks the day we all have been waiting for. The
official unveiling when NetApp gifts the city of Sunnyvale the double diver.
I want to welcome my high school friends who traveled here who mean everything to me. I want
to welcome sitting right here my niece Amanda Ackerman who I love and adore. I want to welcome
my studio John Richie, David who did my video and I hope you all see it and the website and Roddy
right over here who helped build the double diver and my foundry is Kim right over here from Tom
Bollinger Atelier who helped me do the impossible and many of my friends are here today so let me
tell you a little bit about this piece. It also took five to seven years for me to do it and it
is the impossible. NetApp and Elizabeth who believed in me they made me push the boundaries of what I
could do because you're seeing four tons of steel on six inch wrists and everybody said you could
never do that. Special steel had to be designed by brilliant architects and incredible pedestal had
to be made to hold it foundation going into the ground. You would not believe what the work,
the thought that went into this piece. A beautiful model Richard Newsel East who wanted to be here
today. Handsome, wonderful model, helped pose for the piece. A terrific gallerist Bridget
Midmire from Sculptricide Gallery who will be here a little later who also believed in me.
Many people helped to make this possible. My high school friend Carol Handelman reminded me
yesterday of something I said many many years ago in my graduation arista when I was 17 years old
in graduated high school. She said yesterday in an email to me I'm looking forward to seeing the
double diver in the flesh and congratulating you Carol. I looked at the arista and found the quote
you said when you graduated high school with me. You said all passes are cologne indoors. Thank you
NetApp for believing in me and allowing me to make and helping me to create art that will endure.
Thank you. Thank you all for coming and helping us further enrich the community in which we live
and please enjoy and invite your friends to visit our campus and to visit the double diver. It's
here for your enjoyment. Thank you so much.
