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Link: http://www.creativetime.org/programs/archive/2008/byrne/project.html

Well, David Byrne's fabulous Playing the Building exhibit has now closed. Here's a vid I snapped of the installation.

The exhibit uses an old pipe organ rigged up to the old Maritime Building (next to the Staten Island Ferry) to 'play' it. Metal pipes act as giant flutes, radiators and columns are struck with solenoids like a giant, mutant metalophone, and old window motors growl like some awkward contrabassoon.

Anyway, I grabbed one of the cool posters detailing the exhibit. The front of the poster has a great photo of the installation, and the rear of the poster details the workings of the piece, with an interview with David Byrne. Now, how on earth am I meant to frame this and be able to enjoy the rear when I want to? I need a double sided picture frame!

You can buy some double sided frames off the shelf, but not for the size of this poster (36" x 26"). So I had to get all Martha Stewart and build my own. Given the musique concrète nature of the piece, I thought it only fitting to go low tech, a little industrial - if you call it shabby chic I'll poke you in the eye.

Anyway, to bust out your frame, go to your local art store, or even Home Depot. Get:

1. 2 x plexi-glass of suitable size - luckily the bits I found were exactly 36" wide!
2. 2 x metal bracey type bits - super luckily these are also exactly 36" wide!!
3. packet of nuts and bolts (about 1/2")
4. packet of washers, and/or optionally finishing washers
5. picture wire, if you want to hang it
6. oh, and a plexi-glass cutter. I'm assuming you already have a drill.

I was going to cut my plexi-glass exactly to size, but given the gap of only an inch or so, I thought bollocks to that, especially since I know I would've cracked it anyway. The plexi-glass I got was about 1/10" thick, because I wanted to keep it light (and it was cheaper), but going thicker would provide a much sturdier result.

I don't need to explain it much, but...

1. Lay plexi-glass slabs down together
2. Lay out metal brace bit, mark bits for holes, drill holes
3. Peel off inner protective sheets from plexi-glass, layout poster, make poster sandwich.
4. Peel back outer protective layer on plexi-glass enough to screw in nuts with washer and metal bracey bit, and then pull protective layer off
5. Stand back, admire.

Easy, eh? I also looped in some picture wire beneath the outermost washers so it could be hung, and flipped around. After realizing I don't have a ladder, and no way of hanging the bastard high enough, my superiorly intelligent girlfriend said "Why don't you just drill a hole to hang it?" After thirty seconds of making argumentative ape noises, I finally understood what she meant. So option two for hanging it is to drill hole dead center in the top. Brill-o.

Here's some piccos.

Metal bracket screwed into plexi-glass sandwich, and super-fancy finishing washer

The rear, with hi-tec hanging wire technology.

Ta-da... finished product

The backside. Or I can say "fanny" since I live in America now...

Voilà! Perfect studio artwork.