For anyone who has lived in Colorado you probably are or have met an avid rock climber who spends their weekends deep in the canyons scaling upwards in pursuit of adventure. For me, time spent climbing is one of the biggest advantages of summer and taking advantage of every sunny warm day in the mountains is cherished. Unfortunately, as seasons change from sun to snow this activity is cut short which can cause a sort of climbers depression. It is for this reason that I wanted to focus my upcycling project aesthetic on bringing the illusion of climbing up a wall into my home. To do so, I plan on taking inspiration from other artist work such as Loan Lavalaye to create my own hanging climbers out of old electrical wire and string found around my home. The reason I have chosen to use electrical wire is mainly because I have spent the last seven years working as a professional electrician, not only has this made me extremely familiar with this material, but I believe this project will create a sense pride as it utilizes aspects from my professional career to create something representative of my personal hobby. I have a few ideas that I have began to ponder on how specifically to bend, twist, solder the copper wire but would gladly appreciate any ideas that you all may have. I look forward to the design and build of this process, here are a few pictures that I have found of which I seek to gain inspiration.
The above image is by Lindsey Mathewson (1) and illustrates the outdoor aesthetic that I seek to achieve with my copper climbers. The main thing that I like about this picture is that although you cannot clearly see the color of the mountain you can clearly tell that she is rock climbing. Accordingly, the way she is looking off into the distance creates a sense of magnitude of how far up the mountain she is. These two aspects of his image are what I hope to achieve with my copper climbers.
The above image is a piece of hanging wall art created by Global Views (2) and it represents the core idea behind what I am trying to achieve through this upcycling project. As you can see, the use of twisted wire really creates a great illusion of a real rope. Another thing that I like about this piece is the overall stance of the climber which clearly looks as if they are in the accent stages of the climb.
This last piece of art which was created by Loan Lavalaye (3) really brings together all the aspect of which I seek to incorporate into my upcycling project. Although I may not be making these climbers out of epoxy or cast metal, I still believe I can achieve the human like form through the use of recycled copper wire. Additionally, I really like the aspect of having multiple climbers of staggering heights upon my wall which Loan has illustrated in this piece. I doubt I will have any climbers hanging from their feet, but I do believe I will be able to make a unique combination of all three of these aesthetic inspirations.
Works Cited
(1) Mathewson, L. (2023). M – Lindsey Mathewson. COMMON CLIMBER. https://www.commonclimber.com/lindsey-mathewson.html
(2) Views, G. (2002). Climbing man-wall mounted. Perigold. https://www.perigold.com/decor/pdp/global-views-climbing-man-wall-mounted-gxv4313.html?piid=52901616
(3) Lavalaye, L. (2024, January 30). 9-piece creative industrial style rock climbing man resin wall hanging sculpture set. Etsy. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1619111916/9-piece-creative-industrial-style-rock?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_a-art_and_collectibles-sculpture-art_objects&utm_custom1=_k_CjwKCAiA_OetBhAtEiwAPTeQZ9u9vy3pm6U7wnIYpegwl5-AlZkgsZIyl5OPikPwr6801a4L2Oo7bhoC_soQAvD_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_12563602469_119027016466_507185384068_pla-354182275568_c__1619111916_12768591&utm_custom2=12563602469&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_OetBhAtEiwAPTeQZ9u9vy3pm6U7wnIYpegwl5-AlZkgsZIyl5OPikPwr6801a4L2Oo7bhoC_soQAvD_BwE
4 Comments. Leave new
Hello Johnathan! I am a huge fan of this concept. I think this is a great project and I really like how you’re going to use recycled electrical wire due to your profession. My only question is how realistic are you going to get with your figures? Making a realistic person out of wire sounds like a difficult feat, but would look really cool. A stylized person, like a stick figure, would also look just as cool on a wall.
Miller time,
It is great to hear from you! I am so happy that you are a fan of this concept and I commend you for taking the time to read into my project. Accordingly, I plan to make the figures as realistic as possible given the medium I have chosen to work with. They may just be stick figures, but I hope to create an anatomically accurate models which will undeniably look human.
This project idea looks really cool. One idea that popped into my head was using a single long wire with no cuts between all the climbers. Kind of like the line art where the pencil is never picked up. It could be a cool way to “tie” all the climbers together. On a different note, have you tried ice climbing? Could be a good winter option…
Hello Blake,
I definitely agree with your thought on the one continuous wire. I think the line art style would really add to the overall look of my project. The “tieing” of the climbers through this method will most likely be the way I approach the remainder of this project.