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I am currently working on a Carrara Bianco Marble carving. In this project, I began with a digital model, setting the outside dimensions of a square block I could carve from marble slabs already in my studio. This ended up being a twenty-five-inch by twenty-five-inch by roughly three-and-a-half-inch volume. Within that volume, I created an object – a chain of forty-two interconnected circles that, when separated by eliminating one circle, would allow the stone to transform from a solid block into a flexible, five-foot-eight-inch line of stone. A digital 3D model of the carving design can be found on Sketchfab.

The final sculpture will include two stone objects and a digital photograph, creating a composition of three elements. The composition will consist of one solid square block resting on the ground (where we often see a pedestal), a line of interconnected circles hanging from the ceiling above, and a digital photograph on the wall beside the stone objects capturing the completed stone chain in it’s initial carving format—a circle of smaller circles. My intent for this digital photograph is that it lands in an “uncanny” space between archival object documentation and digital rendering. The photograph will simultaneously present “fact” and “fiction” while capturing the transitional phase between solid stone block and flexible stone line.

This diagram presents the intended layout of the sculpture's three elements. The square marble block, shown in dark grey, is a twenty-five by twenty-five by three and a half inch object. The marble block weighs approximately 100 pounds and will rest on the ground. The marble line of circles is forty-one interconnected circles with a total length of five feet eight inches. Each circle has a diameter of three inches and a thickness of nine-sixteenths. The marble line weighs approximately seven and a half pounds and will hang from the ceiling. The digital photograph is a color print of the marble carving on a white background. The circles in the photo are the same size as the marble circles, making the digital print twenty-five by twenty-five inches.

Carrara Bianco Marble

The top two marble slabs in this photo, each approximately 37 x 29 x 5 inches and weighing approximately 280 pounds, were in my studio before I began design work. To achieve two identical square blocks from the irregularly sized slabs, I removed quite a bit of material, reducing the size to 25 x 25 x 3.625 inches. These smaller square blocks of marble weigh approximately 100 pounds.

Digital Rendering

The 25 x 25 x 3.625 square block with the chain of forty-two interconnected circles.

Digital Rendering

The chain of forty-two interconnected circles.

Digital Rendering

This is a close-up of elements in the digital model. I used the additional lines around the objects in the model to create a series of templates to help align elements as I carved. The first templates were 2D shapes that I laser cut out of clear plexiglass. The distance between the template lines and the actual object is intentional—it allows for a degree of error when carving the rough shapes.

Square Circles

At this stage of the carving process, the circles are visible, but are still fully connected.

Square Circles Detail

Maintaining accurate reference lines (the black and blue lines on the stone) was necessary to keep the circles correctly spaced and each circle symmetrical.

Curved Circles

As I removed material around the reference lines, each circle began to take on its rounded shape. Eventually, curving the sides eliminated the stone connecting the rings.

Refining the Size and Symmetry of Each Circle

Once the circles were separated, each one needed to be carved into an accurate 3-inch circle with a thickness of 9/16th. I returned to my digital model and designed new carving templates and reference surfaces. I 3D printed these new carving guides in grey PLA filament, and used them as a reference to complete the detailed carving.

Hand-filing and Maintaining Accurate Reference Lines

I completed all of the detail work using small diamond files. Maintaining accurate reference lines through each carving phase enabled me to carve forty-two symmetrical three-inch circles.

Sanding and Surface Protection

I sanded the circles to achieve a luminous surface without shine or reflection. I wrapped each circle in foam to protect the sanded surface as I worked.

Digital Rendering

These elements (shown in blue) are the support structure for holding the stone carving in the same orientation as the original design model, where the circles are arranged in vertical and horizontal lines perpendicular to one another. I 3D printed twenty one pairs, one for each vertical circle.

Digital Rendering

This is the design layout for the digital photograph. When photographed in this orientation, the 3D printed support structures will not be visible, and the marble carving will appear to defy gravity and “float” above a white background.