Joshua Rosado is one of three winners in the state-wide design contest sponsored by Mission Hill Main Streets. His bike rack will be installed along Huntington Avenue at Brigham Circle in the Spring of 2010.
Introduce yourself.
My name is Joshua Rosado. I am a senior at Snowden International High School and I've been working in Sculpture Studio at Artists For Humanity for three and a half years.
Describe your overall design process.
The first thing I had in mind was a lock. I tried a few initial designs that didn’t work out so well. Then, I looked to my side and I saw this little keychain lock and I thought to myself, “How about we expand it into a big lock?” My mentor (AFH Sculptor mentor, Nick Rodrigues) and I brainstormed different possibilities. Out of this discussion, we came up with the idea of making the design vandal-proof by using bars instead of a solid frame; the bars also had a second function for attaching the U-Locks to secure bikes to the racks.
What was the construction process like? How long did it take and what did it involve?
In the beginning, the process involved a lot of phone calls to different companies to get pricing for cutting metals. We worked out of my mentor’s studio off site because Artists For Humanity didn’t have all the necessary equipment to sculpt it—such as huge torch blowers, proper saws to cut through metal, huge grinders and welding equipment. There were only about 6 hours a week where we were able to work on it. Overall, the construction process took about 1.5 to 2 months to complete. It was like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. There are three separate sections that had to be attached to make one: the middle (rib cage), the back (key and ring) and the front (big U). The key and the U were both connected to a plate; the plates connected to the sides of the ribs; then the ribs were welded to a metal base. The construction process involved precise measurements, cutting the metal, bending the metal at the right degree and welding everything together.
What was your greatest challenge in this project?
My greatest challenge in this project was the welding because too much heat applied to the metal causes it to warp. This was tricky and hard to control. Luckily, my mentor was there to help me and he showed me a few techniques to prevent the warping.
What was the best thing you gained from this experience?
The pride—knowing that I was able to accomplish building a piece like this and knowing that it will be on display for all of Boston to see. This accomplishment, all by the age of 18, makes me have more appreciation toward my talent and my craft.
I want to be known for my art worldwide. I would like to be known as the architect with various designs other than buildings, such as public works of art. I would also like to be known as a worldwide graffiti artist and paint in different countries.
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1 comment:
Love this, can't wait to see it in Mission Hill!
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