SYNAPSES -  Baldivis Senior College  2015

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Fascinated by the configurations created by web like connections of neural relationships at a microscopic level, artist Daniel Eaton created Synapses, a series of three sculptures that combine science, art, digital technology and hand craft. By shifting scale from micro to macro, original images of network systems within the brain morph into tendril-like shapes that emerge from the ground at strategic points around the school.

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There were many layers and stages in the fabrication process for the sculptures. After first making small simplified models Daniel accurately drafted each Sculpture in a complex three-dimensional computer aided design application. When he was certain the models were correct, he sent the patterns to be 3D printed to scale. Once satisfied that the forms were as aesthetically pleasing in reality as in virtual reality, the same patterns were sent to make full size laser cut patterns from which the aluminium plate was cut and rolled to construct the works.

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Assembly was complex. Daniel deconstructed the 3D printed models, carefully numbering each piece, then reassembling them so that he could cross reference with the individual aluminium pieces that came to him from the laser cutter. Each length was Rolled to multiple specific radii then later notched out and joined together using specifications previously worked out through the computer aided drawing program. Finally, each sculpture was shaped and box welded by hand. the completed interconnecting woven networks of aluminium forms are designed to create a vital visual language between the art and the dynamic architecture of the school.

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Maggie Baxter