String Art Sculptures
At Tree Weaves, we get commissioned to use our unique art form to create a wide variety of custom projects and installations for our clients. While we are known for our tree nets and playground structures which can include large scale projects, space rooms, net lofts, and small commissions, we can also use our weaving techniques to create sculptured art as well.
String art sculptures have become quite popular lately. The ability to make fascinating shapes and designs using many strands of string is truly amazing. This technique can result in some very unique and stunning visuals that all can enjoy. Tree Weaves does not manufacture small scale string art projects, however, we have been commissioned to create some large scale sculptures utilizing 550 paracord.
Rainbow Whorls Stairwell Sculpture
Our most notable string art sculptures to date is the Rainbow Whorls Stairwell Sculpture at the Georgetown Day School (GDS) in Washington, D.C. This string art sculpture is an absolute masterpiece created by the artistic vision of the founders of Tree Weaves, River Echeverria and Alex Patton.
The Rainbow Whorls sculpture is a six-story installation comprised of hundreds of individual strands of 550 paracord. Brightly colored paracord in the hues of a rainbow were used to create the stunning rainbow effect of this giant sculpture. As visitors and students ascend the stairwell that houses the Rainbow Whorls Sculpture, they will be struck by the gorgeous colors of the sculpture that gradually transition from one color to the next.
Not only does this sculpture captivate the eye with the brilliant colors used throughout, but the ingenious and precise placement of each individual strand of paracord creates an unbelievable spiral shape to the sculpture. The two-man team that constructed this large work of art spent many hours planning and executing the unique design.
The Rainbow Whorls Sculpture may not be intended for interactive use as the vast majority of our work is, but it was built with another purpose in mind. Tree Weaves was commissioned to create this installation with the intention of adding safety and fall prevention measures to the six-story stairwell while also enhancing the organic beauty of the area. We feel this project is a true success for the Tree Weaves team and are immensely proud of the work done here.
GDS Lobby String Art Sculpture
The Rainbow Whorls Stairwell Sculpture is not the only string art sculpture Tree Weaves installed at the Georgetown Day School. We were also hired to install a beautiful and functional sculpture that exists in the GDS lobby. This lobby string art sculpture was the result of 10 months of extensive planning between Tree Weaves and the prestigious architecture firm, Gensler.
The GDS lobby string art sculpture consists of a hand-woven, oval-shaped floor net and a hand-woven, vertical net in the shape of an upside down funnel. The oval-shaped floor net was built as a specific safety function for the lobby. The floor net spans the oval hole in the lobby floor that looks down into the floor below. This floor net is one of the strongest nets Tree Weaves has ever installed. The floor is constructed of ½” Amsteel Blue rope spliced in a 6”x6” grid. While the initial layer is immensely strong, Tree Weaves installed a second 6”x6” grid of Amsteel Blue rope about a foot below the first layer as a redundant safety feature. The first layer of the floor netting also has 550 paracord woven into the grid to make the floor net even more dense and enjoyable to sit, lay, or stand on.
The floor netting of the GDS lobby string art sculpture is an amazing safety feature, but the true beauty of the net lies in the vertical netting. This string art sculpture is hand-woven using Fern Green paracord and designed in the shape of an upside-down funnel. This vertical net is not meant to be climbed on, but instead meant to add shape, dimension and aesthetic value to the whole structure and the lobby at GDS.
Seven Arrows Staircase Sculpture
Another string art sculpture the Tree Weaves team was commissioned to create is the staircase sculpture at the Seven Arrows Elementary School in Pacific Palisades, CA. The string art sculpture was intended to be a piece of art that accompanies and accents the Seven Arrows Tree Weave built on the same grounds.
Similar to the Rainbow Whorls Stairwell Sculpture, the staircase string art sculpture at Seven Arrows is constructed of many individual strands of 550 paracord. The colors used for this string art sculpture include the same colors used to weave the Seven Arrows Tree Weave. These colors include:
This string art sculpture was designed and installed by the ever-creative Alex Patton. Alex used his knowledge and experience from creating the Rainbow Whorls Sculpture to help him in weaving another beautifully stunning work of art. Again, many individual strands of paracord are used in this sculpture to create two completely unique looks on each side of the staircase railings used to create this masterpiece. Visitors, students, and staff cannot help but have their eyes drawn to this exceptional art piece when they are walking on the grounds of the school.
Additionally, this string art sculpture was designed with safety in mind. The sculpture itself may not have any certified safety features, however, the Tree Weaves team hopes that the design of the sculpture will help deter students at the school from playing around the sharp, concrete edges of the staircase.
Commission Your Own String Art Sculpture
The team at Tree Weaves is always looking for new and exciting ways to use our weaving skills and artistic talent to create unique and breathtaking designs. If you have an idea for a custom, large scale string art sculpture or a location that you think would be ideal for developing a visual art installation contact Tree Weaves today at (916) 896-8984. We would love to hear your ideas and work with you on making these ideas a reality.
