The (Almost Dreaded) Wire Project

First up in the series of projects from my 3D design class is the wire line project. I had heard plenty of horror stories about it during the spring semester but I chose to ignore them and try to be as excited as possible to try my hands at it. It was a bit tough at first, but once I got the hang of it all, the piece started to come together. So, here's a little walkthrough of the project!

The Wire Desk Lamp

18" x 8.5" x 8.5"

This purpose of this piece was to create a representational artwork out of rebar tie wire. I chose to recreate a lamp because I thought it would be something simple enough to carry out in the time allotted while also being a somewhat complex piece. There was no true inspiration from outside sources or other artists, just a mere desire to want to attempt to create it.

The inanimate muse for the project

Materials

For this project, a number of different tools and pieces were used to create this piece and a handful of those were tools that I was familiar with. The complete piece was made of rebar tie wire that was joined to itself to create a free-standing object. A drill with an eye hook connected was used in combination with a clamp on a desk/table to double twist the wire together. A hammer, nails, and a piece of plywood were used to create a jig that helped to create and shape the different forms within the lamp. A handful of different styles of pliers were needed in order to help bend, twist, and hold the wire while shaping.

Progress of the Project

A time lapse showing how the large circles of the lampshade were created. The wire was cut down to size and then wrapped around the jig to create a nice, even circle. The ends were twisted together to form a joint to hold it together and keep the form.

This was approximately the halfway point of the project before all of the pieces were finally put together.

The Completed Piece

Final Thoughts

In creating this piece, I learned a lot about what I could actually do as well as what I thought I couldn't do. By the end of creating this piece, I felt that I was very successful in being able to create a tight and sturdy joint connecting any two pieces of wire. I feel that I was also successful in being able to create very small circles that were still actually round. As far as struggles, I had a few that I dealt with and feel like I did the best that I could at overcoming them. The one thing that I struggled with the most was aligning all of the pieces together and ensuring that they were even and created a level piece that didn't fall over. I had to make the lamp shade three times because the first two came out very lopsided and shaky.

In taking my first stab at creating a piece of 3D art, I also had the opportunity to learn a lot about myself as well as trying to find ways to work around what I had learned. The most important thing that I learned was that I tend to put off putting in work on a piece that I'm not fully proud of or invested in. I had to force myself to work on this piece and try to push myself to not procrastinate on it. However, in learning this about myself, I also learned that if I make it something that is a goal-oriented, rewarding situation that I was able to put more work into it at. I also learned that I have a little more handiness than I originally thought and feel like I would be able to create more pieces like this - just not in wire!