Random Order - 1994 / 2012 Originally installed in the Barrie City Hall Courtyard Barrie, Ontario, Canada. October 1 > November 6, 1994 Purchased by Georgian College, Barrie. Re-installed outside the Helen and Arch Brown Centre for Design and Visual Art. November 1994 Dismantled on July 3rd, 2012. A section 72" x 43" of Random Order was preserved and installed in the courtyard outside the Helen and Arch Brown Center for Design and Visual Arts. Materials: Used 2” x 4” spruce, cedar, epoxy, screws, steel (support) Dimensions: 144” (360 cm) diameter

Random Order - Transition

Random Order the form, the sphere, was created as harmonious arrangements of haphazardly placed individual elements. Seen as a whole, it reflects an overall form and structure of life, but taken as sections or up close, the system is less evident, lost in the seemingly chaotic assemblage of its parts.

Reflecting back, as one tends to do during a transition, as it is for Random Order, I can see the manifestation of my initial intent through the events that have befallen the work over the almost twenty years of its existence. 
  
I built the sculpture in the loft of Mike Coughlin’s barn atop the Double Door Studios in Anten Mills and Gallery during the two summers of 1993 and, assisted by John Lipskie, 1994.  A twelve-foot diameter sphere allowed just enough room for the sculpture to be lifted and moved by hand through the double doors of the loft.

Random Order was installed in the courtyard of the Barrie City Hall, on the spot where the fountain is today, from October 1st to November 6th, 1994.  Initially, I intended to remove it from the courtyard before the end of October, and before Mat Night, the eve of Halloween, an evening notorious for random acts of vandalism.  I received a week extension from the city of Barrie to work out the details of moving the sculpture to the campus of Georgian College.  Having remained unscathed for just over a month was no guarantee that it would remain so.  On the eve of October 31st it was vandalized, tipped over support and all.

The vandalism, although not understood at the time, was the initial act that caused me to consider the positive effect a destructive (as opposed to creative) force has on something. The act of vandalism, the tipping of Random Order, allowed for an unforeseen and unintended perspective and made an everlasting mark on the character of the sculpture.

In the fall of 1994, Random Order was installed on the campus of Georgian College in the courtyard outside the School of Design and Visual Arts.  Later, when the SDVA building underwent renovations and improvements, the sculpture was moved to the side entrance near E-Building.  It remained virtually unscathed until the winter of 2003 when it was hit by a snow-clearing vehicle, bending the metal base.  Although the sculpture was not damaged the base needed to be repaired.  Before Random Order could be bolted and secured to the steel support it was hit again. This time the vandals tried to roll the sphere out of its support.  By now, the wood had weakened to a point that the structure, when outside its support, could no longer hold its own weight.  The resulting extensive damage was to the lower half of the structure.

Altered from the attacks of vandalism and from the tests of time, Random Order was given a new lease on life.  I brought it back from the brink of destruction and the possibility of removal from the campus.  Now, in the summer of 2012, the sphere has become weather worn and weak to the point where the fabric of the wooden structure can no longer support a respectable and safe existence.

Random Order was dismantled on July 3rd, 2012.  The event wa broadcast live (on the internet). To see the recording of the dismantling event visit http://randomorder.benoits.ca/ Speacial thanks to those who made the dismantling event happen. To Steve Benoit for setting up the camera and making the live broadcast work. Tamara Benoit for her skill in negotiating the administration and making the event come to fruition. To Bernice Vasey who came out of retirement to lead the dismantling process. Sean Benoit, Tim Lauren who offered their time and expertise during the dismantling.

Although removed from its almost two decade location, Random Order will continue to exist on campus through a preserved section of the sculpture placed in the central courtyard garden outside the Helen and Arch Brown Center for Design and Visual Arts on the Georgian College Barrie campus.

The support for Random Order from Georgian College and the School of Design and Visual Arts has been unconditional throughout the years. If not for the interest and energy of Alek Sorotschynski and Ted Fullerton the sculpture would have met a much sooner end, that I am sure. To the council offered by William Moore, the words of support and encouragement enabled in no small way the manifestation of the idea. To Tamara Benoit and Bernice Vasey for their work in preserving the sculpture and in so doing its significance within the community. To Laurie Lamoureux Scholes who, throughout it all, has never let me forget the importance of balance between what I think and what is required. To the friends and colleagues who have generously offered their support over the years, including Greg Amann, Steve Benoit, Tim Bilton, Mike Coughlin, Roy Hickling, Sue Hickling, Peter Koetsier, Wendy Koetsier, Tim Lauren, Peter Lee, John Lipskie, Mary Profit, Connie Spiegl, Janet Wilson, and others who volunteered in the various stages of creation and re-creation that Random Order has under gone...

Thank you.

Douglas Scholes

* All photographs by Douglas Scholes, except both images of Random Order - Rolled (?) by Tamara Benoit.