The Lengths We Go To...

Recently we have just completed a fabulous installation of Paul's artwork for the Cash Converters International Head Office.

Nothing out of the ordinary there except for the fact that one of the installed pieces just happened to be 5 metres long. Yes you read correctly, 5 metres!! Not only was this job technically challenging from a production point of view but we had to get it up and onto the wall of their 18th floor boardroom.

But first things first. The image itself is a 12 image stitch taken of the Perth City Skyline which also encompasses Fraser Avenue, the Swan River and South Perth. Taken at dusk with the city lights at full glow this stunning multiple image panorama really shows off our beautiful city and with such high resolution detail is capable of a fairly sizable enlargement.

While Paul was paying a consulatative visit to Cash Converters and advising and assisting with their art choices and placement requirements, Managing Director Ralph Groom was after something to really show off the beauty and uniqueness of Perth to their visiting international business partners and clientel on their key boardroom wall. Paul having recently completed this panoramic image knew immediately that this was the piece for the boardroom and after a bit of measuring, calculation and consideration they settled on a 500x80cm sized piece, edge framed in Jarrah timber to complement the Jarrah already used in their boardroom.

Excited and a little fearful because this was going to be the biggest piece that Studio Red Dust had yet created Paul went away to figure out how they were going to produce it.

Low and behold after several weeks of trials and testing the team at Studio Red Dust with the additional help of Zimmermans Photo Lab and Lines Enterprises managed to combine there various skills and expertise to print, lacquer and stretcher frame this enormous piece. The final touch being the finishing Jarrah frame also proved difficult due to the fact that it is difficult to locate 5 metre lengths of jarrah and then once we did the first pair were in the moulding and finishing process when they broke apart. Back to the difficult task of trying to source some more timber but eventually more was found, the timber was moulded and finished and them the jarrah was fitted to the stretcher frame.

Whew!! we all drew a collective breath as the construction was now complete and the piece really looked tremendous.

Now the fun really began because we knew we had a fairly serious installation challenge ahead.

Basically Paul hired a small truck with a long tray to courier the work into the city. After ambitiously hoping we could get it up through the stairwell which we fell agonizingly short of we had to devise another way to get it up 18 floors. With the help of Ian, Ivan, Steve and Mike the process went like this:

Now the fun really began because we knew we had a fairly serious installation challenge ahead.

Basically Paul hired a small truck with a long tray to courier the work into the city. After ambitiously hoping we could get it up through the stairwell which we fell agonizingly short of we had to devise another way to get it up 18 floors. With the help of Ian, Ivan, Steve and Mike the process went like this:

Firstly we pre-drilled and then screwed 6 large brass eyelets into the back of the stretcher frame as anchor points. Two as lifters from the top with two as backup support. The final two eyelets were placed at the bottom of the frame for the bottom guide line.

We then had our 1st small lift up two stories onto the carpark roof. So far so good. The work lifted nice and straight and was well secured. We then carried the work across the carpark roof to the protected south west corner of the building were there was a small alcove and a service window above. It just so happened that as we wanted to do the lift on a Sunday we were faced with a hot Perth summer day. By the time we were ready and any wind had dropped off it was a cooking 43˙C and even hotter on the roof. Paul & Ivan were responsible for hoisting the work up from above and Ian and Steve were making sure the work was tracking up nicely from below. 18 floors up was right up top the top floor!

It was no small amount of relief when the work finally got to the top. 18 floors of pulling up what was quite a heavy dead weight was hard work. There was some talk that it was like pulling up a monstrous duefish from a 50 metre depth on a handline. With Paul and Ivan working carefully and safely up top it was a smooth lift even if the arms were burning a little. With Mike's help the large piece was levered up and eased through the service window. Much more relaxed about the process now as the hardest part was now completed.

Ivan can be seen here untieing the work once it was safely was inside the client office. Our expert hangman Ian James fits the D Rings in place as the work is readied to be hung. Finally "Perth Skyline" takes pride of place, successfully completed and installed.