Stand Up Eight Furniture will be displaying a unique collection of wooden foundry patterns nearly 100 years old that have been salvaged by local artist Dineh Moghdam Davis from a Pittsburgh foundry which shut down in the mid-1970s. Wooden patterns are used in the sand-casting method of fabricating metal parts such as pipe fittings, vehicle and railroad car parts, and commercial/industrial equipment.
Dineh saved these pieces by literally sitting in the bed of a dump truck for three days, sorting through wooden patterns bound for the landfill. She managed to save a very small fraction of them, utilizing some in making her own furniture pieces and wall hangings.
In the production of certain steel pieces, wooden patterns are made to represent a positive of the piece to be cast in metal. This pattern is pressed into a sand-oil mixture and compressed under high pressure to create a durable mold into which molten metal is poured.
An opening reception will be held Saturday, November 9, from 4-9pm. There will be drinks, food, and music provided by Cheryl Bartlett and Bobby Nishida. Artist Dineh Moghdam Davis will also be present. Come and learn more about this once common industrial process. Most of the wooden patterns will be for sale during the course of the exhibit.
Before the Before will be on display until November 21. Stand Up Eight is located at 1113 S. King St. For more information, visit standupeightfurniture.com.