Specialty Fabrics Review February 2021 - 48

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Exhaustive testing
proved that the
resulting product is
extremely durable and
will last for well over
150 years without any
notable damage.
Tomas Osinski
Artist and architect

In 2017, a NCPC news release
described the modifications: " The
key changes since the revised concept
approval are revising the tapestry art
with a more abstract drawing of the
cliffs of Normandy; relocating the
young Eisenhower sculpture from the
LBJ promenade to the northwest entry
plaza, refining the sculpture pose and
configuration; adding a new inscription
wall with the Abilene Homecoming
Speech near the relocated sculpture;
and retaining four large trees previously
considered for removal. "

Alternative fabrication
" The project was so difficult that life
after tapestry seems boring. It took
many years of research and testing to
figure out how to fabricate the tapestry, "
says Osinski. " We tried all sorts of systems, researching companies that could
create what we were looking for, and
ultimately decided we had to create our

The Eisenhower Memorial is in front of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education
Building in Washington, D.C. The design, fabrication and construction process took more
than 15 years, due to delays and objections voiced by memorial groups and Eisenhower
descendants. Photo: Pfeifer FabriTec Structures.

48 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / February 2021

own system of fabrication of the actual
tapestry. " The end result is a fabrication
system that utilizes a unique combination of novel computer programming,
innovative automated equipment and
proprietary fabrication technology.
Osinski says, " Exhaustive testing
proved that the resulting product
is extremely durable and will last
for well over 150 years without any
notable damage. We fabricated all 600
stainless steel panels for the Eisenhower
Memorial tapestry at our factory in Los
Angeles, Calif. The process for creating
a tapestry begins with the desired
tapestry image. We then split this image
into layers and render each layer into a
wire pattern using our custom software.
The layers are welded together with
stainless steel braided wire using our
CNC machine fabrication system to
produce the final tapestry. "

Refinement
" Part of the purpose of the Eisenhower
Memorial was to show how a 'boy
from the wrong side of the tracks'
could rise to become the president
of the United States, " says Osinski.
After many attempts to depict this,
including the scene of the Kansas
plains of Eisenhower's boyhood, he
began using software developed to
manipulate photos of the peaceful
coast of Normandy to try to reproduce
an idealized context of the president's
World War II experience. Osinski
explains, " But the realistic photo
sketches I kept trying didn't work;
they were overwhelmingly complicated
to fabricate and became too opaque.
I concluded that it would be better if
Frank made a more abstract drawing
of the coastline. "
Another challenge, according to
Osinski, was placing the tapestry on
the site in such a way that it was not
overwhelmed by its backdrop, the
Specialty Fabrics Review February 2021

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