The CCG decided over the summer to use all natural materials within Project 1. After it was decided to employ various hay bales from local farmers, the CCG examined possible installation sites. The most attractive site, in terms of centrality and visibility, was the college quad. The main buildings around the quad shared a strong semblance in terms of overall vernacular. The triangular shape or pyramidal structure is a common recurring motif within the facades of the buildings and the path formation of the quad. This commonality became our starting point.

As permission was sort to use some location within the quad, public safety and environmental impact became an issue. After consultation with various members of the administration and grounds, it was decided that only a small central foot-print would be available for use. With some discussion, there was a suggestion that we could use a space near Fasick bridge. After some consideration, the site under consideration was deemed to be highly appropriate, especially when the group considered the lesser safety issues and the potential for a larger structure. The group then begun to imagine a project that involved multiple structures at specific college sites.

The CCG has recently been working on sourcing both the bales and potential material to adorn the bales. Taylor was successful in locating a store of bales that a local farmer (Marlin Heagy) would lend for the duration of the project. On completion, and after disassemble, the bales would be re-used and incorporated back into livestock feed. This sustainable approach was particularly attractive to the group.

The CCG team then went about settling on two designs (see Recent Images). It was decided that we could incorporate a number of different features from various drawings into the two final designs. Safety, available moving equipment, and location dictated possible scale of each structure. As was the intention of the project, the final design for the Quad Site and Fasick Bridge Site echoed the surrounding environment. The triangular vernacular in the buildings defining the quad and the shape and form of Fasick Bridge were key elements in both designs. The most significant deviation was within the Bridge design. The team wanted something more organic—hence the curling tale.

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The next stage in conceiving of the project was deciding what to adorn the bales with. It was agreed that a combination of colored strips could be employed as a language. The color choices could also work with well established traditions of color symbolism. The team wanted to communicate a message that included references to the environment and the community. The team developed an alphabet through a series color combinations (see alphabet key below). The pyramid sculpture in the quad spells “A COMMUNITY” (see drawing above).

After researching re-usable and organic-based fabrics, the team settled on the particular transparent quality found in lining. The team felt that the ability to see the underlying texture of the material, in this case hay and straw, was important. After considerable research, a fabric outlet that sold large amounts of re-used fabrics was located.    

The second sculpture, constructed by arranging twenty-two bales, is site-specific and designed to encourage inquiries from viewers through a sustained visual dialogue. The work is aligned into a curving, organic shape that corresponds to its surrounding environs and interacts with the color code panels in which it has been wrapped. The juxtaposition of organic and synthetic materials, ideas of image and text, and the placement of an intentional structure within the unpredictable activities of nature all point to the gray areas between planned creation and accidental beauty. The CCG invites the viewer to interact with the work by reading and following the message it contains- the color coding on the bales encourages the viewer to literally orbit the work by what it spells out: that is, the word "circumambulation." As a term, "circumambulation" is often used to signify the act of walking around a ritual or set-apart object in order to evaluate its intellectual, religious, or aesthetic value. In creating this structure, the CCG is interested in investigating what qualities render certain objects as fit for utilitarian use and others as appropriate for aesthetic evaluation.