Henrique Oliveira: Creating 'Tapumes'

Through the magic of time-lapse photography, Henrique Oliveira rapidly transforms piles of salvaged and new wood into a massive and colorful installation. In reality, Oliveira and four assistants worked fifteen 12-hour days from March 10 24, 2009 to construct Tapumes.

Oliveira uses tapumes, which in Portuguese can mean "fencing," "boarding," or "enclosure," as a title for many of his large-scale installations. The term makes reference to the temporary wooden construction fences seen throughout the city of São Paulo where Oliveira lives. It also refers to the weathered wood Oliveira uses as the primary material in his installations.

[klasi]

Absolutely amazing. Pure genius combined with incredible industriousness. I am in awe.

[TheMillstone]

Would love to know how you can afford to spend the time, employ your assistants etc., do you have a commission and funding up front each time before you start work?