People at Work

Two years ago as part of a volunteer group I was asked to help build an outdoor sculpture called Stickwork. In a little less than 3 weeks, investing several hundred labor hours and 3 tons of willow twigs we built a really cool sculpture which still stands today. We worked under the direction of Patrick Dougherty who has supervised construction of almost 400 sculptures over the past 3+ decades. You can learn more about him here: http://www.stickwork.n​et/

Image hosted by forum (1156718) © sapearl THIS IS A LOW QUALITY PREVIEW. Please log in to see the good quality stuff.

Some very unique structures on the link you provided. Was this the "Tilt a Whirl" you were working on? If you have anymore in progress shots I would like to see them.

sapearl wrote in post #19373189
Two years ago as part of a volunteer group I was asked to help build an outdoor sculpture called Stickwork. In a little less than 3 weeks we with several hundred labor hours and 3 tons of willow twigs we built a really cool sculpture which still stands today. We worked under the direction of Patrick Dougherty who has supervised construction of almost 400 sculptures over the past 3+ decades. You can learn more about him here: http://www.stickwork.n​et/

Amazing work. Very creative and well done.
I'll second the ask for more

In this case it is one worker and two "supervisors."

Dave3222 wrote in post #19373199
Some very unique structures on the link you provided. Was this the "Tilt a Whirl" you were working on? If you have anymore in progress shots I would like to see them.

Thank you Dave, and yes, this is "Tilt a Whirl," and I do have many more pictures. I believe there is a POTN limit though of how many I can post in a short period.

It was very hot, dirty and sweaty work but provided a wonderful opportunity to be outdoors with fellow volunteers during the height of Covid. It was a good break from the stress plus we were doing something creative. On the average Patrick's structures last about 2 years. I just visited it yesterday and it's still in good shape so hopefully the Arboretum will let it sit longer before tearing it down.

avondale87 wrote in post #19373214
Amazing work. Very creative and well done.
I'll second the ask for more

Thanks Richard!

I just looked up some of the old stats - I was a docent there for a while and would lecture from a binder of my 8 x 10 photos. There were 48 volunteers who contributed 540 labor hours total to the project. 33 people spent 369 hours weaving all the willow together and 15 folks spent 112 hours stripping all the leaves off.

The first shot shows Patrick's son laying in some of the long branches. We'd follow their lead and there was plenty of on-the-job training. The other shot shows the assembly area. There were about 100 post holes dug, each about 4' deep. The really thick willow branches were our our 4 x 4's for archway and wall support which were sunk in the holes along with steel rebar support. We'd weave the thinner branches between them. The finished structure was quite strong, had no roof, and allows excellent air flow.

Timphoto wrote in post #19373243
In this case it is one worker and two "supervisors."

Hosted photo: posted by Timphoto in
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forum: People

Haha - that's funny, I like it! I'm guessing a '63 Ford Galaxie or close relative?

sapearl wrote in post #19373268
Haha - that's funny, I like it! I'm guessing a '63 Ford Galaxie or close relative?

Galaxy 500, but I'm uncertain about the year.

Timphoto wrote in post #19373270
Galaxy 500, but I'm uncertain about the year.

I think I remember that model too - as a little kid I had a huge fascination with bucket seats! They were so much cooler than the couches a lot of sedans had

OhLook wrote in post #19373182
What is this Sweeps Festival I keep looking at? A celebration of housecleaners? They might prefer higher pay over a big annual party.

Hi OhLook - Here is your answer and a few links:-
An annual festival of folk and dance and to celebrate the Victorian - and earlier - chimney sweeps holiday. It is a mega event for the whole family to enjoy. The whole city is involved and the crowds are enormous. Keep your wallet securely tucked away. I have posted pictures from previous years and will post a few more on the Urban Performers, Street Musicians thread.
These links will take you to a page I have posted on:-
POST 19096546 Note - Granddaughter is now grown up.
POST 19315178
Rochester hosts three main events - Sweeps in May - Dickens in June and Dickens Winter Festival in December. All are very well attended, even if the weather is bad in December. The restaurant businesses do well and the pubs make hay while the sun shines. The usual yobs take the opportunity to enjoy a good few pints of the many Real Ales available and then proceed to make themselves a B nuisance as the evenings progress.

Extract from Wikipedia. Sweeps Festival.
Since 1980 the city has seen the revival of the historic Rochester Jack-in-the-Green May Day dancing chimney sweeps tradition, which had died out in the early 1900s. Though not unique to Rochester (similar sweeps' gatherings were held across southern England, notably in Bristol, Deptford, Whitstable and Hastings), its revival was directly inspired by Dickens' description of the celebration in Sketches by Boz.

The festival has since grown from a small gathering of local Morris dance sides to one of the largest in the world. The festival begins with the "Awakening of Jack-in-the-Green" ceremony, and continues in Rochester High Street over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

There are numerous other festivals in Rochester apart from the Sweeps Festival. The association with Dickens is the theme for Rochester's two Dickens Festivals held annually in June and December. The Medway Fuse Festival usually arranges performances in Rochester and the latest festival to take shape is the Rochester Literature Festival, the brainchild of three local writers.


https://www.medway.gov​.uk …rs_of_the_sweep​s_festival
https://www.visitmedwa​y.org …eeps-festival-2022-79679/

Here are some completed shots of the Stickwork sculpture, summer vs. winter

Whatever the weather, children and adults love to explore the structure:

The snow adds an extra dimension to these structures.
They certainly are excellent and great for kids, and others to explore.
That last photo is intriguing and very nice

avondale87 wrote in post #19373909
The snow adds an extra dimension to these structures.
They certainly are excellent and great for kids, and others to explore.
That last photo is intriguing and very nice

Thanks Richard - totally agree about the snow. I returned over 2 winters and took hundreds of photos during all sorts of weather moods and illumination. These are just a few of my favorites. Everytime we go and see kids they are always running around playing hide and seek. I never had anything THAT cool when I was little.

Patrick's artwork was featured at the Morton Arboretum, which is nearby us, back in 2007. Stunning work. Thanks for the back story and pics!