A Matter of Balance
 Who is Peter Reiquam?
Peter Reiquam is the artist who was commissioned by IslandWood to create
a functional food waste station for the dining hall. He created the interactive
scale, A Matter of Balance, which we at IslandWood refer to as Wade.
Peter has a MFA in sculpture from Yale University and a BFA
in sculpture from the University of Washington. He has been featured in numerous
exhibitions across the country and has been commissioned to do pieces for
MTV's The Real World Hawaii and Seattle and the Pedaling Man mechanical sculpture
for the R.E.I. in Redmond, WA.
Why the name change from "A Matter of Balance" to Wade?
Peter originally named the structure A Matter of Balance because the structure
not only represents the balance of a scale, but also the balance that humans
must find between our need for food and the use of natural resources. The
staff and students at IslandWood have nicknamed the structure Wade, giving
a personal identity to the scale. Peter is aware of the name change and even
likes that we have given his piece a name of our own.
What does Peter want students
to think about when they use Wade?
Peter wants students to think about their role in contributing to the health
of the earth when they use Wade. Students should be aware of the purpose of
Wade, to raise awareness about the food we are throwing away on a daily basis,
and to think about ways we can reduce the amount of food we waste. The structure
itself serves as a reminder of our responsibility for the environment, with
the earth at the base and the human figure forming the scale.
How was Wade made?
Peter started his design with a drawing before making a small model of the
structure. The model allowed him to figure out the scale of the piece,
make adjustments, and present his idea to IslandWood before beginning the
finished piece.
The bucket labels and structural
elements of the piece are made of stainless steel, cut using abrasive water
technology. The buckets themselves are made of aluminum, spun from flat sheet
material on a metal-spinning lathe. The globe is spun steel painted with
sign painter's enamels. The three pound weights are steel while the one-pound,
half-pound and quarter-pound weights are made of aluminum.
All of the metal surfaces were hand
finished using a series of abrasive disks followed by hand burnishing with
3M Scotchbrite pads. To reduce fingerprinting, the stainless steel was then
wiped with a light coating of mineral oil. The surfaces of the buckets were
left uncoated as they are frequently cleaned
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