Lecturer in Visual Arts John Bisbee has installed the first of his nail cluster art series "Switch" in the Fort Andross Art Gallery in Brunswick. "Switch" is comprised of three separate parts: "Patch," "Ridge," and "Mound."
These sculptures consist of interlocking and overlapping piles of nails that lie on the floor of the gallery. Currently on display in Fort Andross is "Patch," an entanglement of nails that forms the shape and texture of a patch.
"Patch is down right now," Bisbee said. "This is a very calm introduction...in three or four weeks we'll switch it."
He explained that the gallery will display "Ridge" next, and will follow with "Mound".
"Ridge is the most exciting," Bisbee said. "The nails will flip over and interlock into a 400 foot industrial snake."
Bisbee began his "Switch" project after accidentally finding a bucket of unused nails in 1988. According to Bisbee, the piece contains a quantity of nails that weighs exactly 10,000 pounds.
Bisbee also noted that the shape of the piece works in sync with the gallery space.
"The piece is proportional to the room itself," Bisbee said. "The placement of the work was a process of thought and serendipity."
In addition, Bisbee decided to immerse two of the room's white beams into his art.
"I turned it on a dynamic angle and wanted to have two beams inside," Bisbee said.
The nails of "Patch" are of varying metallic colors; each nail differs in its own level of rust.
"I liked the rustic quality," Elissa Gervais '09 commented.
The rust effect was not achieved through any particular treatment method of the nails.
"It was stored in an ambient atmosphere with moisture," Bisbee said. He added that this rustic look was attained by a type of "accidental oxidation," yet the colors complement with the room's atmosphere. The rust quality of the nails "reminds me of the warmth of the floors," Bisbee said.
He is excited to be able show this project now in Fort Andross.
"I made the piece in 1988. It feels great to get it out of its cave and share it again," Bisbee said.
Bisbee's show "Bright Common Spikes: The Sculpture of John Bisbee" is currently on display at the Portland Museum of Art. The exhibit chronicles two decades of Bisbee's work using spikes, brads, and nails as his main medium. "Bright Common Spikes: The Sculpture of John Bisbee" is on display through March 23.