Constructing the blooms
In his artistic endeavours, Shaughnessy comes across different kinds of challenges. Those sometimes pertain to integrating technology, like data and sensors, into the artwork, and at other times may come down to ensuring that the piece can withstand extreme winds. With regards to the Palm Beach Blooms, the location for the finished pieces was under construction as the Blooms were being built, which meant Shaughnessy and his team could not come close to the site. “Instead, we used a 100-ton crane to lift over a building and into the corridor where the Blooms would be located. The installing was highly coordinated since we had to do everything blindly with a crane,” explains Shaughnessy. “We had a team of riggers and electricians on site to help anchor the sculptures into place. Before they are set in place, there were two 200-inch (5.8 m) spools of data and power cable that had to be reverse wired through the electrical underlay while each Bloom hung in the air.”
The fabrication process of the Palm Beach Blooms has taken around four to six months. “Each bloom is roughly 700lbs (318 kg) with a 5-inch (12.7 cm) diameter and contains over 1,000 petals. The stem has a .53-inch (1.3 cm) thick pipe wall and can only be sourced in one location in the states. In total, each Bloom weighs roughly 1,200lbs (544 kg).”