Sculpture Bases
Central to the concept behind the Venusian World Sculpture Collection, including the Venusian Gardens, is the modular system of easily interchangeable components of the work. The Venusian sculptures consist of separate components that are interchangeable and therefore allow for flexibility in design. The neon tubes are wireless and are mounted in pyrex glass housings that enable each neon tube to be easily replaced or exchanged within any Venusian sculpture or garden without the need for tools or re-wiring. In addition, the glass components of the flowers are also interchangeable. Finally, the bases that support the sculptures and gardens are designed to allow for different components and/or configuration of components so that each garden or component of a garden can be easily changed without the need for tools or wiring. As such, one may “pick a Venusian flower” in a garden and place it in a new and different base thus allowing for personal customization or “growth” of the sculpture.
There are several components to each sculpture (see below for images). Essential to each is a base that houses the neon transformer that powers the neon tube(s). The bases are designed for individual or group neon/glass display. Each base has one or more pyrex glass housings for mounting the neon tubes. Each pyrex housing has a brass spring that allows for wireless electrical contact to the electrode of each neon tube allowing for easy mounting/removal of the neon tube. The sculpture bases are constructed of wood (stained or painted), ceramic, metal and/or acrylic. Some bases are designed for indoor and/or outdoor use, some for hidden installation under rocks and others with specific aesthetic attributes for a variety of applications.
While some sculptures are designed to consist only of a base and one or more neon tubes, many are designed to include additional components, especially blown glass, to further develop the style of the sculpture. Usually these glass components are mounted directly over the pyrex housings that hold the neon tubes thus creating the image of the neon tube emerging from the glass form. Generally speaking, the forms and shapes of the glass components serve to define the sculptures, i.e. Venusian Swamp Flowers and Venusian Swamp Lotuses etc. However, the choices of bases, glass forms and neon tubes offer a variety of combination options leading to many manifestations for a particular sculpture or installation.
Flora & Stalaglite Bases
- Pods
- Wood
- Venus W
- Geometric
- Nambe
Garden Bases
- Marsh Garden
- Swamp Garden
- Rock Garden
Flora & Stalaglite Bases
Pods
The Pod bases are designed to accommode a single neon unit alone or to allow for a Swamp Lotus or other glass component. Both the glass and the neon components are easily interchangeable without the need for tools or rewiring.
Marsh Hillocks
The Marsh Hillock bases come in various sizes and can accommodate any of the blown glass components such as the Swamp Lotus demonstrated above. They are appropriate as floor pieces or they display well on countertops.
Wood Bases
Triple
Single
Single
Triple
Single
Single
Triple
Single
Single
The wood bases come with a variety of options. They may hold a single or multiple neon units, they come in two heights and they may come painted black or with simple wood finish, either mahogany, oak, cherry or ash. These bases also accommodate the use of any of the blown glass components as well, including the Swamp Flowers, the Swamp Lotus, Clamora and others.
Venus W Bases
Geometric Aluminum Base
Nambe Base
Garden Bases
Marsh Garden Bases
The Marsh Garden are distinguished from the Swamp Gardens in that the bases of the Marsh Gardens are brushed aluminum while the Swamp Gardens bases hold underlit glass cullet from which the Venusian Botanica arise. That being said, large Marsh Garden bases allow for areas of “Swamp” in which holes in the aluminum provide for placement of underlit glass.
Swamp Garden Bases
Rock Garden Bases
The plexiglas bases are designed to be buried out of sight for use with the Rock or Swamp Gardens. They can be quite versatile. They allow for multiple pyrex neon housings that can be arranged in any numbers or configurations. The plexiglass can be translurcent to allow for placement of a neon tube underneath to illuminate the glass components from below as in the Swamp Gardens.
Depending on the size of the Garden, the use of “satellite” bases can connect with a “mother” base that has the power transformer allowing it to light multiple satellite bases placed distant from the mother base.
two Satellite Bases
Multi-base
The use of the plexiglas bases above allow for large Rock Gardens that can built into an encasement or simply placed on the floor for an in-situ installation. Free standing bases below are also available.
Black stones in Rock Garden installations