Today, we continue the report from March 27. 2009 on the installation of guardrails along the new Visitor's Entrance path.
In this photo, Landscaping Coordinator, Ron Chandler, is leveling the vertical end points of the mesh, so that round bars can be smoothly attached as a finish edge.

Next, in the top right corner photo, you can see Ron spot-welding the 20' long bar, while a clamp and a jig are holding it in place. After the whole piece has been attached, he comes back to connect each individual vertical bar to the horizontal edge.

We will continue reporting on this project on Wednesday, April 1.

Metal work along the new Visitor's Entrance path continues with the installation of guardrails.
Square steel-mesh sheets are cut to size and attached to the railing posts.

In this photo, Brian Fritz and a workshop-participant are welding the connection points between two sheets of the mesh. Notice the two sheets still have to be adjusted for height.

Here, the guardrail has been trimmed to the required height. On Monday, we will continue with a report on this project.

Today, we resume the report on construction of Arcosanti's new Visitor's Entrance.
The railing along the path, takes shape as 1.5" round tube is attached to the posts.
In this photo, planning and construction intern, Stefano Massa, is joining two pieces of the tube.

As the project nears completion, the new handrails are connected with the pre-existing ones.
Here, with a grinder in hands, Brian Fritz is polishing the weld where two railing segments were connected.

The railing continues along the path.
On March 27, we will carry on with the report on this project.

The GREAT SPRING SALE of Paolo Soleri bells is happening all of this week, until March 29. 2009.
Take advantage of great prices on the famous SOLERI bells.

A selected special assembly is also on sale, this week only.
Also on sale is the famous Colly Soleri Music Center bell.

And selected "Cause" bells have been marked down for this annual sales event.
Take a drive out to visit us in this beautiful spring weather. Come and take an interesting tour through the Arcosanti site, have some yummy cookies in our bakery, or have a delicious buffet lunch from 12 noon to 1pm in our lively cafe.
Or join us on Wednesday afternoon at 3 pm for the weekly one-hour meeting, "School of Thought", with Paolo Soleri.

From March 21. - March 29. 2009 selected Paolo Soleri bells are on sale at Arcosanti during this annual SPRING SALE Event.
Hours are from 9 am to 5 pm, 7 days a week.
Please note that this sale is taking place at the Arcosanti location only.
See Directions.

Here are more photos of the dynamic world premiere of “Theoretical Isolation: A Post-Atomic Experiment at the urban design project”, performed at Arcosanti last Saturday, by a group of actors from Chicago The Laboratory for the Development of Substitute Materials.

Members of the group are:
Seth Bockley, Jessica Hudson, Chloe Johnston, Ira S. Murfin, Kerensa Peterson, Angela Tillges and Seth Zurer.

The audience had a chance to meet with the actors after the performance.
More information on facebook.

The premiere of “Theoretical Isolation: A Post-Atomic Experiment at the urban design project”, performed by “The Laboratory for the Development of Substitute Materials”, started with a "scientific" tour of the Arcosanti site.

Part of the "moving" [in more ways than one] performance took place in the S.O.D. Soleri Office Red Room.

Other parts were played in the Colly Soleri Amphitheater, some with the audience on stage.
This report continues with more photos and details on the performance on 3/18/09.

Welcome to the March 2009 Workshop-participants!

Top from left to right are:
Yozo Takada, Erica Snowlake, and Justin Harris.
Bottom from left to right are: Daniel Weeden and
Erez Bleicher.
Oliver Weidemann is also attending the 5-week workshop.

We welcome back alumnus Ira Murfin. Ira brought with him a theater group from Chicago “The Laboratory for the Development of Substitute Materials".
Members of the group are:
Seth Bockley, Jessica Hudson, Chloe Johnston, Ira S. Murfin, Kerensa Peterson, Angela Tillges and Seth Zurer.
The members of LDSM are performance, literary, and visual artists variously affiliated with a number of prominent Chicago theatre companies, including Redmoon Theater, 500 Clown, Collaboraction, and the Neo-Futurists.

On Saturday, March 14, 2009, the group will present the world premiere performance of “Theoretical Isolation: A Post-Atomic Experiment at the urban design project”.

Theoretical Isolation: A Post-Atomic Experiment is a collaboratively generated performance inspired by the development of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, Shakespeare's The Tempest, and the urban laboratory Arcosanti.
This original multi-media, interdisciplinary work sets scientific experimentation, Congressional testimony, and old-fashioned magic tricks down in the middle of Arcosanti's unique architectural environment.

Inspired by the discovery that The Tempest was among the literary texts discussed by scientists at Los Alamos, the performance investigates historical and fictional characters who retreated from civilization in order to re-imagine it, working in geographic isolation to create books and bombs with the potential to change the world.
Theoretical Isolation: A Post-Atomic Experiment focuses on two of these individuals: J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who oversaw the Manhattan Project, and Prospero, Shakespeare’s most famous magician.

The performance is at 7:00pm, admission is free. Arrive at 5:00 p.m. for a tour of Arcosanti ($10 suggested donation) and pre-show activities. A dinner buffet is available for $8.95 at 6:00 p.m. in the Arcosanti Café. The performance begins promptly at 7:00pm.

The film crew for a new movie "Carried Away" arrived from Texas.
Part of the story takes place at Arcosanti.
The action began on Saturday with the Crafts III cafe turned into a movie set.

Quite a few Arcosanti alumni came to be extras and wardrobe dressed everyone in Western attire.

Ft. Worth based director Tom Huckabee brought a lively Western band, "The Theater Fire of Ft. Worth, Texas," and filming went on until 3 am.
Filming continues in several locations at Arcosanti, all through this week.
See additional photos on photographer George Wada face book page.

The first workshop of 2009 graduated.
Congratulations to:
[from left] Laura Dunn stays on for an agricultural internship,
Stefano Massa stays on for an internship in graphics,
Chris Reighley stays on as a construction volunteer,
Andrew Chesley stays on as a construction volunteer,
Nathan Hodgson and Ryan Weinman.
Kengo Kurimoto completed four of the five weeks.

The pool stabilization project has been under way since December 2007.
Since the early 90’s, when excavation work was done for LA LOGGIA, a three-story structure to be built directly south of the pool, the pool deck has been in need of structural stabilization.

This image shows the weathered basalt with columns, retrofitted in 1985, under the original footings. The chalked lines in the foreground mark the location of La Loggia.
In order to begin the ground breaking for La Loggia, or the Greenhouse Energy Apron, this stabilization project has to be complete.

The project named a ”vertical garden/cubist landscape,” by Paolo Soleri, was undertaken by David Tollas as project manager with Paolo’s design direction.
The main structural element in creating a buttress to stabilize the pool deck, is the nine foot circle panel cast in the early 90’s for the Greenhouse Energy Apron.

Work continues on the AOT ramp, see most recent reports from 2/23 - 2/27/09.
David Tollas shows his crew of volunteers and workshop participants how to mix cement into a soupy slurry.
This slurry is now applied to the new retaining wall.

The trick is to get the right consistency, so that it flows very slowly down the sloped wall and hardens into a very interesting surface, like miniature lava flow.
Before the slurry hardens fine silt is dusted onto this surface.

Once the coated slurry dries it will lighten in color.
Work continues with the completion of the level 1 railing and lots of details to finalize the ramp. We will report on this later.

On 3/4/09 we will start a series of retrospective on the pool stabilization project, alternating with reports of most recent events.