Greg Conyne sculpture in Vancouver, WA

'Ramona Falls' installed at Turtle Place

by Greg Conyne

The challenge presented to the sculpture team consisting of Wendy Armstrong and myself was using materials that started perhaps as someone’s vision of a better future or a not so elegant, but very serviceable piece of equipment that had become outdated or worn and turn them into a piece of sculpture that would have rain water running over it, becoming a fountain. 

We were to use cast off materials from the likes of Clark County Public Utilities (CPU), the local bus company (C-Tran), a local contractor (Bob Colf), and the department of the city in charge of the traffic signals. This seemed like quite a daunting task until taking of tour of the “bone yards” of these establishments. Wendy and Greg left with spinning heads and many possibilities. They came up with a concept sketch that was approved and were on their way. 

The frame or super structure is made out of 3”x 2”, 2”x2” new steel and new bolts. As the piece is to be approximately 15’x8’x8’ and movable they needed to be able to disassemble it and reassemble it at a future date if the need arises. All of the rest of the sculpture is made up of pieces from the above mentioned places. Transformers and insulators make up the majority of the features. These are not necessarily left the way we received them from CPU. Some are turned upside down, some cut, insulators are all different ways to make the water flow and drip off them. The concept reminds us of Ramona Falls out of recycled materials.