Journal

Donald G. Longcrier, Artist Journal/Blog

Wooden Fish: Construction of Tape Measure Pieces

Wooden Fish by Donald Longcrier

Contruction of Untitled (Tape Measure 1,2,3), 108" H. x 108" W. each, Tape measures on wood.

Installation of the Tape Measure pieces at Mainsite Contemporary Art. ©2013

 

The Tape Measure pieces began with a two year effort to acquire enough yellow, cloth, carpenter's tape measures to accomplish all three pieces. My calculations estimated a need for between 7500' and 10,000' of carpenter's tape. The search required almost two years and yielded more than ten thousand feet of tape. 

Tape measures exceeding ten thousand feet in total length

 

 
To prepare a surface on which to tack the tapes, panels were constructed of one half inch plywood, 108" x 108" each. 

 

 

Tape measures were then attached to the panels with half inch nails. The process began at the center of each panel and worked continuously outward until the edge was reached.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The construction of each Tape Measure piece utilizes between 2200 feet to 2500 feet of carpenter's tape. There are approximately eleven to twelve thousand nails per piece. 

 

Installation view: L-R, Untitled (Tape Measure 1,2,3), 108" H. x 108" W. each,

Tape measures on wood, ©2013