41” x 40” x 28”
plywood, cellulose insulation, water, steel
Clamped Suspension when first installed weighs over 300 pounds and contains over 35 gallons of water. It consists of two 3⁄4 inch plywood boards, 40 inches square, with a 30 inch bar clamp threaded through the center. Six inches of standing paper pulp (cellulose insulation) is compressed down to four inches by the turning of the clamp. For additional support 4 threaded rods a quarter inch in diameter were added to assist in the compression of the pulp. The slab of wet paper pulp stays in place, resisting the shear force of gravity, through the compression of the screw clamp and threaded rods. The plywood and paper pulp slab is hung using the tension of steel braided cable which is attached to the handle of the clamp. This tension creates a compressive force that transfers the weight of the slab through the length of the bar clamp which, at its base, rests into a shallow groove carved into a plywood cleat at the wall. To keep the 40 inch slab level and plum 5 small lengths of re-bar were added as counterweights to the top left hand corner. Without them the top right corner would drop down an inch and a half. Over time the water in the pulp slowly evaporates, creating a solid block of material.