Mammoth Head @ the Last Bookstore in Los Angeles

here's an image showing the main steps of the construction process.

I made the design to go with a foam model based on the time and cost limitations imposed on my by the commission outline. It would have been nice to go with a full clay model and casting a resin head shell but budget alone restricted the reality of such a methodology. I had two weeks to manufacture the head in time for the bookstore opening

One of the main factors in designing the armature was weight and stability. I had to make sure I could mount this in aluminum studs spaced 16 inches apart and break this down for transportation to and from the bookstore.

I purchased a set of mammoth tusk replicas from bone clones. These became the foundation for the sculpture. I chose to buy these instead of sculpt my own based on the space limitations of my work space and the looming deadline.

The location for the head mounting is in an old bank at 5th and Spring in Downtown Los Angeles. The owner wanted to have an antiquated head mount reminiscent of old Victorian/Steam punk style.

The tip of the trunk is about 12 feet off the ground and the top of the head comes to about 20 feet. The Head is approximately 9 and half feet tall 4 feet deep and 4 feet wide.