Takashi Soga is an artist we love to work with. He raises engineering and metal work to an art worthy of the finest museums. So when he called us to help him with his creation for the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville, Fla., we were excited to get involved.
The Sea of the Ear Rings is meant to encapsulate space and time, Soga says. And looking at it - how it seems to defy gravity, how it moves in the wind - you almost understand his intent.
We worked with him for months to perfect the duplex process necessary to do this piece justice. An exceptionally smooth surface was critical in both the galvanizing and powder coating processes. And it had to withstand everything the Florida climate could throw at it: high ultraviolet radiation, sand, wind, salt spray and fog.
We gave the piece every bit as much commitment as Soga did. And thousands of people see it every day - and will see it for decades. That's why this piece was nominated for an award in 2009 from the American Galvanizers Association.