Assembled onstage by the performer, this piece needed to be made to look like wood and clip securely together before being held up as a unit and “flown” offstage. I chose to create the entire base with 1/8” steel rod but because MIG welding was too hot and would flash the steel I decided to braze the frame together with an oxy-acetylene torch. This also meant I had to braze the uprights in place - an interesting challenge working with such thin pieces that clamping anything was an extremely creative process. Once the cross pieces were placed in line with how the ship breaks apart I was able to cut the frame strategically so that each piece separated cleanly before brazing in angle iron clips and using magnets to direct the action of putting the pieces back together. For the finish, my team and I stretched muslin around each panel and whip-stitched it evenly around before starching the fabric. We then glued each piece of cut and broken wood on to create the illusion of a wooden boat that matched the designer's rendering.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre - 2022