A Yoga Ball goes concrete.
This concrete mold is being created to use as a form to shape a steel butterfly ball. The butterfly ball will be suspended on a cable in between the uprights. It will allow for kinetic power.
Half sphere is curing. It will get another layer of concrete.
Ugly Duckling looking to become a Swan
All sculptures seem to start with an ugly ducking stage. The structural portion of the sculpture has been assembled out of polished stainless steel pipes. The upper portion of the pipe is wrapped in foam to protect the transparent blue powder coating during fabrication.
Keep an eye out or progress images! There will be a cable suspension assembly being designed to run between the upper support poles. Butterflies!
Why Butterflies? Why make the sculpture?
It’s about balance. A delicate balance of Quality of Life and Mother Nature. She knows all too well how delicate that balance is.
While the billions of tons of chemicals applied to the earth largely serve commercial agriculture, eliminating chemicals from our own lawns and gardens can also make a difference, directly benefitting our families and communities.
While most modern herbicides are designed to kill only plants and have little or no toxicity to humans, many still have extreme consequences in the environment, changing habitats in ways that affect insects and wildlife.
Studies show dogs who play in herbicide-treated yards have three-times the risk of cancer. Other studies link non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer and Parkinson’s disease in humans.
Pesticides do not discriminate; they kill all insects in their path. This means the beneficial insects, such as the ones that prey on harmful insects, are killed as well. Pollinators also fall victim to pesticides.
When every original insect is gone, the habitat is wide open for infiltration by other insects. This new, blank-slate habitat has no predators for the secondary insect population. It’s a dangerous ecological experimentation, upsetting a delicate balance for short-term gain.
Less than 1% of the insects in the world are considered pests. The other 99% play an integral role in the ecosystem.
If your grass is green and your garden is groovy you may want to take a look closer look at the soil you purchased and any fertilizer you use. The evidence reveals that 54 percent of regularly bought “bee-friendly” plants sold at Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Orchard Supply nurseries contain systemic pesticides. Products aren’t labeled and do a lot of harm. They don’t just leech into the water supply, they grow into the very fiber of the plant into its leaves and flowers which can harm bees, butterflies, ladybugs, earthworms, even birds.
The impact of these killer chemicals can last for months to years to come. While they’re designed to harm insects, we also just don’t know enough about what they’ll do to humans over time. And, since they also end up in our food, we’re all likely eating them. Daily.
Grow your own food to be healthy. Support the organic market. Vote for politicians and local council members who respect environment concerns. Enjoy knowing that bees and butterflies are your best friends. The joy of growing your own produce, colorful flowers or a patch of grass, finds harmony and balance with the natural world. After all, everyone eats and without insects, we’d all have a pretty bland diet.
To share in the delicate balance with Mother Nature requires an observation and active stewardship of our own backyards.
