Jute Sculpture

Collaboration: Emily Bixler + Merkled Studio

Merkled Studio: Consulting, Technical Design, Prototyping + Fabrication

Artist Emily Bixler approached Merkled Studio with one question: “Can you turn this 1” x 3” sketch into an 8' x 10' sculpture for a commercial space?” The answer: “Of course!”

The process started with digitizing Emily’s original pencil sketch, carefully capturing all the small gestures and intricate details of her hand-drawn lines. Once digitized, the sketch was enlarged and printed at full scale to ensure every subtle artistic detail was translated well. With that confirmed, the next step was creating a 3D rendering in Fusion 360. This helped finalize the design and precisely map out the location and shape of each hole for the rope loops. The goal was to achieve perfectly spaced parallel rope once they were woven through and tightened. Ultimately, the solution was made to build two large fixtures that would slot on top of each other, held in place by custom-designed brackets.

The CAD design was then sent to a laser cutter. Once the flat steel bars were cut, they were brought back to Merkled Studio to get hand formed, welded and detailed so the two stacked steel frames appear to be seamless.

After the frame was powder-coated, Emily wove 400 feet of 1/2-inch rope through the slots, finishing each end into a designed cap. The final result? A fun collaboration resulting in a massive, stunning sculpture born from a small sketch and idea.

Materials: powder-coated steel frame + polypropylene rope