Mattress Factory Sculpture Project


July 19, 2005
Originally uploaded by AlphachimpStudio.
Alphachimp Studio participated in summer programs for local kids at the Mattress Factory, a world-renowned museum and gallery space for installation art in Pittsburgh.

One class is working with sculptor, Tim Kaulen, to create a large-scale structure for a local playground. Kaulen works with found and salvaged material including discarded vinyl sheets, back-lit gas station placards and old billboards.

Another class created quilted banners and totem poles to serve as gateways to a children's garden in the inner city.

As part of the design process, each young artist creates a journal to capture ideas and artifacts that may inspire them. A collaborative design process involved determining the themes, interviewing neighbors and refining details of the sculpture.

The final pieces were built from large recycled signs.

July 19, 2005
ABOVE: The Mattress Factory installation art museum and performance space.

Kids in the Learning Lab
ABOVE: Sculptor Tim Kaulen shows kids at work in the Learning Lab.

MindMap of Symbols

ABOVE: Results from a brainstorming session.

peterdurand

Peter Durand is an artist, educator & visual facilitator based in Houston, Texas.

He is the founder of Alphachimp LLC, a visual facilitation company that helps clients understand and communicate complex systems visually. He is a leader in graphic facilitation and a professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.