So, the volvelles did not start out that way. Initially, the idea was for a series of prints each with a different type of treatment for certain ailments. As I worked on the treatment types: Common Western, Traditional Chinese, Self-Medication, etc., the idea of a volvelle came into my head. I was taking an advanced letterpress class at the time and was encouraged to give it a shot. Holy crapamoly, i had no idea what I was getting myself into.

My initial layout was done on paper, sketching and turning so that the eventual holes in the front of the piece would like up with different parts of the body, or ‘areas of malady’. The trick was that with 6 different treatment type stations, things had to be placed so that text would not overlap or be visible in another hole. It sounds simple, but with my layout, and my brain, it wasn’t.

After the first consult on my piece, I was encourage to make te volvelles larger – ending up with an 11.5″ (cm) disk. Somehow, this messed up my initial sketches and I spent way too much time in Illustrator repositioning everything and finalizing what the areas of malady would be. Eventually I wound up with a hole layout like this:

Which would result in reserved spaces for 6 alternate text blocks like this:

No overlaps!

There were many times during the making of the two ‘Amazing’ volvelles that I doubted my sanity. This was one of those moments:

Während ich die zwei ‘Amazing’ Volvelles drückten, gab es mehr als ein paar Momenten wann ich mich auf meiner Vernunft gezweifelt habe. Das obige gebildete Moment war eins davon…

To print angled text on a flat bed press, especially the text as I needed it set, was not so easy. I could have had a zinc cut made, but that would have been too simple, surely…

Abgewinkelter Text auf dieser Art von Presse zu drücken – im besonderem der Text wie ich ihn gesetzt habe – war nicht so einfach. Ich hätte einen Zinkschnitt (? – muss ich nachschlagen) machen lassen, aber das wäre wirklich zu arglos

Last fall I started working on a print project. Between concept and practice, I decided a volvelle format would be ideal.

Letztem Herbst fang it eine Druckprojekt an. Als ich die Idee ausbaute, entschied ich an die Form einer Volvelle.

The project grew into two volvelles, and will grow further from here, but the first two sets are done.

Das Projekt wuchs bis zwei Volvellen, und wird noch weiter wachsen. Für’s Erste, aber, have ich die erste zwei Folgen fertig.

Yes, the umbrella moves! We’ve had a great number of rain and windstorms this year, so I’ve been able to see how it handles the weather.

Der Regenschirm bewegt sich. Wir haben sehr viel Regen und Wind bis jetzt bekommen, also konnte ich erfahren wir er sich bei dem Wetter behandeln wurde.

Pictures of SOP’s sculpture are available here:
Bilder von SOPs Skulptur sind hier zu sehen:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xmasberry/sets/72157620606366512/

Images of my work:
Und bilder von meine Skulptur kann man hier finden:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xmasberry/sets/72157619702333082/

Our Flying Object sculptures were installed this past Wednesday (i’ve been catching up on sleep since)

A few minutes before:

The day before:

And two days before that:

Photos of sop’s much-cooler-than-mine sculpture and videos of both of ours moving to come.