Where In the World is The Big Hammock?

If you’d like to purchase souvenirs in memory of the fun times you had on The Big Hammock, local t-shirt vendor Sauce Wear Tees will be carrying our t-shirts from now on. You can check out their blog here or their online store here.

Time to Say Goodbye…

We know it’ll be sad to see it go, but we had a blast and a great run!!! We’d like to thank, once again, the Awesome Foundation, the City of Boston’s Arts Commission, Parks & Recreation Department, MassDOT, Boston World Partnerships, the Greenway Conservancy, and the BSA; our collaborators: Erik Nelson of Structures Workshop, V&G Ironworks, Duncan Galvanizing, R&W Rope and Arteplas, BFS Business Printing, Ruth Bohn, Michelle Mizioch, Chelsea Plumb, Anastasia Azure, Myla Tak, Allie Surdovel, Phil Glenn, Antonia Better-Wirz, Anthony Piermarini of Studio Luz Architects, Jesen Tanadi; and all of our extremely supportive donors, volunteers, fans, and participants–without whom The Big Hammock wouldn’t have happened and been such a special and treasured project.

Nearing the End…

This past Friday, with the help of children’s book writer Antonia Better-Wirz and Nicholas You of the Boston Asian Youth Essential Services, The Big Hammock was once again alive for one of its last events. Thank you Antonia and Nicholas, you guys were awesome!

Nicholas You, a staff at the Boston Asian Youth Essential Services, is pictured above with his cool shades.

On Friday, August 27th, Boston’s Hispanic newspaper, El Planeta, featured The Big Hammock in one of their awesome articles. We’d like to thank writer Felicitas Baruch for writing such a culturally insightful article! Be sure to pick up a copy!

Oh, To Be a Kid Again…

You can find a couple of quick snapshots from yesterday’s event below, and if you and your kids couldn’t make it yesterday, please come today! Readings will start at 3:00PM again, and thanks to the Boston Asian Youth Essential Services, we will also have readings in Mandarin and Cantonese. See you there!

Antonia Better-Wirz reading the story in English and Spanish to our young visitors.

Good Morning, Boston!!!

We also have children’s story time at 3:00PM today: children’s book writer, Antonia Better-Wirz, will read (in English and Spanish) her awesome book written just for The Big Hammock! So come one, come all, and enjoy the hammock on this glorious day! Readings in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), sponsored by Boston Asian Youth Essential Services will begin tomorrow at 3:00PM.

Last week, architectural photographer and our dear friend, John Horner, took some awesome pictures of the hammock (samples below). If you would like to use any of his professional high-res images, feel free to contact us!

Last but not least, the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) has also posted this awesome video, of our construction process, on their vimeo page! Thanks so much guys!

It’s Raining, It’s Pouring…

Unfortunately, The Big Hammock will be closed for the next couple of days. But we’ll open it back up once the sun decides to come out again–maybe this is a good way to build up anticipation and get everyone excited for the next awesome day lounging on The Big Hammock.

We’ve also moved our children’s book reading times to August 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th at 3:00PM. Readings in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) will be on Thursday and Friday, August 26th and 27th, both at 3:00PM.

Below you’ll find Boston’s weather forecast–brought to you by The Weather Channel.

Since The Big Hammock won’t be open for a while, we’ve provided you with some images taken this past Saturday so you can reminisce over its awesomeness. (We’d like to once again thank Huntel Amabile–the guy playing his guitar in the pictures and videos–for putting everyone to sleep with the sound of his sweet lullaby!)

Past and Future Events…

Today was the perfect day to lie on The Big Hammock: with perfect weather, good company, and awesome music by our friend Hunter Amabile, we couldn’t think of a better way to spend Saturday afternoon.

But there’s more! But in the spirit of diversity, this event is for the little ones: children’s book writer Antonia Better-Wirz will be narrating her book (in English and Spanish) starting tomorrow, Sunday August 22nd at 3:00PM (other times are listed on the “About” page). On Monday, August 23rd and Friday, August 27th at 3:00PM, we will have readings in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) provided by the Boston Asian Youth Essential Services located in Chinatown–we’d like to thank Jane Leung, Jane Wong, Nicholas You, and Susanna Cheung for their assistance!

The Big Hammock was also featured on WBUR’s Radio Boston on Thursday, but this time, they featured visitors of the hammock! To hear about what they had to say, click here.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!!!

Some fun facts about The Big Hammock: the rope length is 2550 feet (warp) and 1728 feet (weft), with a total of 4278 feet–which makes it 5.5 times longer than the Boston Hancock Tower is tall. If you still haven’t had the good fortune to visit it yet, now’s the time! (You could always tell your boss that you have some errands to run over lunch and take that long-deserved nap you’ve been waiting for. Who knows, maybe the Guinness World Records™ committee might stop by to take some pictures of the hammock while you’re on it.) As always, we’re open from 12pm-8pm every day–and make sure you make it to our opening at 1:30pm tomorrow!

Once Upon a Time…

Bring your kids to The Big Hammock for some awesome story time, narrated by children’s book writer Antonia Better-Wirz. Maybe they could even learn a thing or two about hammocks! Times are August 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 27th, and 28th at 3:00PM.

If you’d like to purchase your own copy (hardcover/softcover), visit our “Souvenirs” page! Remember, all proceeds will go towards offsetting our yet-to-be-covered expenses.

The “L” Word…

Anthony Piermarini of Studio Luz Architects taking a leisurely nap on The Big Hammock.

Stressful week? We have a couple of events lined up just for you! Our grand opening party is this Friday, August 20th, at 1:30PM! Come take a long break, eat lunch, enjoy some good company, and nap on The Big Hammock (or tell your boss that you’re not feeling well)! And on Saturday, August 21st, at 3:00PM our friend Hunter Amabile Acoustic will be playing some awesome music.

The project was also recently featured on the Boston Herald (check out a snapshot of it below) and it’s definitely gaining popularity, but we want to spread the word even further. So tell your friends and family about it and have them try it for themselves–we’ll guarantee they wouldn’t want to leave.

We’re still looking for more Hammock monitors–if you would like to participate, please visit the volunteers page and sign up for time. We’re sure you’ll enjoy it as much as Phil does (pictured below)!

Like Good Wine…

…The Big Hammock seems to get even more awesome over time! Today is our fourth and last day weaving The Big Hammock–with 1 extra day assembling the frame, we’ve only spent 5 days constructing everything! Though it started out as a seemingly daunting task, by the end of  it every volunteer was left extremely happy and satisfied.

With a couple of hours left to go until we finally finish weaving, we’d like to present to you–our devoted fans–with a series of images documenting the last couple of days of our adventure! (Plus, they say a picture is worth a thousand words…)

“OMG, we’ll never finish!”

Bob from R&W came to teach us a thing or two about rope.

Saturday’s weaving crew (minus Ruth and Michelle).

Our Structural Engineer, Erik Nelson, came with back-up to test our structure.

And we passed with flying colors!

Even the Chief Fire Marshall came!

Our progress as of this blog post! We’re so, so close!!!

Gathering Interest…

Textile Collaborators Ruth Bohn and Michelle Mizioch have started the weaving process and will finish The Big Hammock’s warp portion (ropes going lengthwise) by today. Check out pictures below!

The project has also garnered a lot of interest from people passing by, especially those with children, so if you haven’t seen it yet, stop by to say hi, check out our process, and pick up a few brochures! Project Director Hansy Better will also be speaking on Radio Boston at Boston’s NPR News Station, WBUR (90.9 FM), at 3PM EST! If you’re stuck at work, you can also stream it live by clicking here.

And Here We Go…

We finished constructing The Big Hammock frame earlier today! It definitely looks pretty awesome and is eye-catching (bling-bling!). Tomorrow we will begin weaving on site, so be sure to stop by, say hi, and pick up a brochure! (If you’d like to participate in the weaving of it, you’re more than welcome to.) Once we add the ever so colorful ropes, The Big Hammock will definitely “pop” even more!

Special thanks to Robert Dermody, a faculty at Roger Williams University, for his help with The Big Hammock’s frame assembly and for this great picture below.

As always, our kickstarter status is below. We have 1 day left, so if you’ve been thinking of pledging but hasn’t done so, now’s your chance!

It’s the Final Countdown…

In less than 24 hours, The Big Hammock’s frame will be up on the Greenway!  We just received our memorabilia products in the mail today (t-shirts, kid’s books) and they look GREAT. (See, we look so happy trying on the new t-shirts!)

Virgil Bancarotta at V&G Ironworks sent over this awesome shot of The Big Hammock frame, all galvanized (thanks to Duncan Galvanizing) and sitting on their truck waiting to head off to the Greenway!  We have all the bolts, nuts, rigging, and volunteers ready to go for tomorrow’s frame assembly.  Let’s hope for good weather!

We would also like to send a big thank you to Hutker Architects and all our awesome backers for supporting The Big Hammock Project!!!

Help Us, Help You…

So much has happened the past few days! The frames are being finished and they are arriving on the Greenway within the next couple of days. To prepare for the opening event, we’ve also been putting together a simple A-Frame sign and some brochures/pamphlets to hand out.

We’ve also gained some publicity recently by being featured in Mayor Menino’s ONEin3 Boston blog (click to open) and the Fort Point neighborhood blog (click to open)!

But we still need your help…
We’re looking for volunteers, especially site monitors, who will sit by the hammock after it has been put up and hand out our pamphlets and waiver forms to those interested. (To sign up for times, please go to our “Volunteers” page and click on the respective links.)
We’re also still looking for more donations. Even though we’ve exceeded our $4,500 goal on kickstarter, please don’t hesitate to continue donating and pledging, as the original goal of $4,500 is only enough to cover the frame’s fabrication and there are still other expenses that need to be offset. We only have 4 days left on kickstarter, so donate soon!

We look forward to the Big Hammock to be constructed and weaved, our opening party, and of course, we look forward to all of you being there! Stay tuned!

For the Younger Audience…

Budget update! We’ve reached our kickstarter goal of $4500!!! Special thanks to Kamran Zahedi of Urbanica Boston for making it happen! The $4500 we’ve received will go towards material and fabrication expenses, but please continue to pledge and spread the word as the extra money we receive from kickstarter will go towards other expenses.

Check out our recently completed illustrated children’s book! Narrated by Antonia Better-Wirz and Illustrated by RISD Illustration student Allie Surdovel, the book tells the story of the hammock in different situations.

You can check out a little preview below and purchase a copy for your kids (or for yourself) for $25.95 on blurb (click to go there). The proceeds will go towards offsetting expenses.

The Hammock is Big, The Hammock is Small…

We’re also getting closer on Kickstarter–$2,551 pledged and only 11 days to go! Tell everyone you know: your grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, sons, daughters, their friends, your friends–heck, tell your neighbors and their family and friends too!!!

Now for the actual update: Project Director Hansy Better, Project Manager Andy Wise, Textile Collaborators Ruth Bohn and Michelle Mizioch, and Structural Engineer Erik Nelson met on Friday to discuss the newly built prototype.

Ruth and Michelle have also started weaving our mini hammocks! (OMG THEY’RE SO CUTE!!!) These mini hammocks are small scale versions of the real deal–they’re even woven using the same techniques! You can play with them as toys, use them as a reminder of your awesome donations, and you can even apply them as decorations. They will be given to donors of $100 or more, so go to our Kickstarter page and make sure to pledge! (or donate through Paypal or by cheque)

As always, below is our Kickstarter progress report. Click on it to go to our Kickstarter page and pledge!

And It Begins…

And It Begins…

Also… there’s less than 3 weeks left on our Kickstarter page and a little more than 50% left before we meet our goal. Help us reach $4500 by pledging! (You can click on the image below.)

A 980lbs. Gift…

First of all, thanks to all of those who have pledged on Kickstarter! We have just surpassed our $1500 milestone! We’re very excited about this–and please keep spreading the word through your facebook and/or twitter by passing on this link: http://kck.st/aSN9iJ.

On another note, earlier this morning Project Manager Andy Wise picked up all of the recycled polypropylene rope we’ll be using (adding about 980 pounds of weight to his car) from our friends John and Paul at R&W Rope.

Samples were also delivered to our Textiles Collaborators Ruth Bohn and Michelle Mizioch. They will start weaving a 2′ by 30′ sample today. Stay tuned for more updates when we hear back from them!

Hammocks Around the World…

On a recent visit to her native Colombia, Hansy Better discovered a chinchorro being woven in the Wayuu community. Weaving is an important part of Wayuu culture. Although similar to a hammock, a chinchorro differs from a hammock in that it is a looser knit ,and therefore much more elastic than a more tightly woven hammock. (reference from Colombia tourism)

It’s a go!!!

The Big Hammock was approved as of 4pm yesterday, July 14! We’d like to thank City of Boston’s Arts Commission, Parks & Recreation Department, and the Greenway Conservancy for approving this project. We will begin to purchase all the recycled metal pipes and Virgil Bancarotta of V&G Ironworks (pictured below with his fish) will begin the fabrication soon after. Contract will be signed on Friday with the Greenway.

Stay tuned and please visit our Kickstarter page and post the link on Facebook and on your twitter account to gather more support!!! Check out our progress below (also available on our “Donate” page):

Ropes, ropes ropes…

Project Director Hansy Better and Textiles Collaborator Ruth Bohn went on a visit to R&W’s warehouse. As one of our Premiere Sponsors, R&W Cordage will be providing us with all of the recycled polypropylene rope for the Big Hammock Project.

Special thanks to Paul Adam for giving us a tour!

A Woven Network…

Ruth Bohn and Michell Mizioch have finished a few “woven fabric” samples for us!  Everything is made out of recycled multi-filament polypropylene.

Check out some detail pictures below.

Spacing Studies…

Some studies of the warp’s spacing—done by Textiles Collaborators Ruth Bohn and Michelle Mizioch. The examples below show a 3.25” spacing and a 1.625” spacing. In the end, we chose 2” as it provides us with enough density, but can still be materially economical.

Looking Back In Time…

Our new Textile Collaborator, Ruth Bohn, constructed a test loom based on a traditional Navajo loom. Ruth constructed the loom out of an old door she re-appropriated.

Many thanks to Anastasia Azure, a RISD graduate student in the Textiles Department, for her research on traditional Navajo looms!

Weaving Techniques…

Our summer of 2009 Textile Collaborator Myla Tak is in the process of working out weaving techniques, connection details, as well as different methods of fabrication.

Below you can find some images from last year’s research and development.

A Work in Progress…

The hammock will be made out of two systems. The primary will be four perimeter tensile chords made from 5/8″ polypropylene rope with a breaking strength of 16,300lbs. The perimeter chord will have factory made end loops (factory eye splices) which will attach to a Compact steel D Carabiner. The Carabiner will then attach to an extra high strength cable that will fasten to the hammock stand through a welded eyelet. This provides the basic structural strength for the piece. The perimeter chord will support a 5/8″ woven rope net to create the bed for the hammock. This woven rope is durable and soft to the hands making it an idea material for outdoor play areas.

Directed by our summer of 2009 Textile Collaborator, Myla Tak, the secondary liner is a decorative custom made weave pattern woven into the primary perimeter structure. The secondary liner is a contemporary version of the hammock weave that begins to catch light and filters the light through the hammock. The pattern will have variations in color. The hanging points will be approximately 5′ tall and the hammock will sit 3′ from the ground.