Transversion by Peter Diepenbrock
Sculptor and industrial designer Peter Diepenbrock installed Transversion, a 3,000 pound work of textured bronze and stainless steel, on the northwest lawn of Main Library on November 16, 2011. The piece was commissioned by the Lakewood Public Library Foundation without a single tax dollar and has become an instant Lakewood landmark.
Hailing from the Rhode Island School of Design, Diepenbrock is a sculptor and industrial designer with twenty-five years of experience turning personal visions into concrete realities. He has designed everything from large, outdoor works that redefine their surroundings to delicate ornaments for the White House Christmas tree.
A poem by Tom Baskerville Rowland was deemed the official poetic description of Transversion after a 2012 poetry contest.
With so many wonderful poems submitted, the Library decided to publish its first book–a collection poems, striking photographs, ingenious math problems devised by clever Lakewood High School students and a little history of the sculpture. Download the book, Poems and Problems: Inspired by Peter Diepenbrock’s Transversion, (PDF).
Watch the creation and installation of a Lakewood landmark, assembled from the artist’s photos and the Library’s time-lapse study of the installation. And put on your headphones to hear the original score by Mike Jacobs!
Fast Facts
- 800 Pounds of Stainless Steel in the Base
- 1200 Feet of 3/8 Rod in the Frame
- 16 Sheets of Bronze Cut into 2240 Pieces
- 4,000 to 6,000 Welds
- 320 Linear Feet of Polished Tubing
- 3 Kilos of N-Propyl Nitrate
- 45 Sanding Discs
- 75 Belts
- 2 Pounds of Polish
- 15 Gallons of Distilled Water
- 10 Tanks of Propane
- 30 Ounces of Wax
- 900 Hours of Perspiration
- Total Weight: 3000 Pounds
- Calendar Time to Build: 4 Months
- Size 14’8” x 14’8” x 8’2”