Don Maynard uses the components of HVAC industrial air conditioning units as the primary material for his sculpture, Smoke Signal #1. In their original form the units are large, block elements which are then salvaged and deconstructed to expose their inner workings: tubes of half inch copper tubing running through “fins” of aluminum. He then slices the metal diagonally, cut on the bias into strips which are then bent and reshaped into their intended form. Smoke Signal #1 features tightly wound coils of metal that loop and overlap to create an imposing wall relief that undulates like writhing snakes, their scales radiating from strips of metal.

Maynard discovered that such industrial materials are suggestive of organic systems, in this case the thin aluminum fins on copper coils imply a type of plant material. The tubing pierces the structure to act like an organic invasion, like the tunnels of hungry insects burrowing a home. The contradictory qualities of organic and industrial became exciting for the artist, as he states, “I frequently choose to use industrial waste type material in my sculptures to make reference to natural phenomena. Conceptually and philosophically I am trying to take the material back into the earth. The ephemeral nature of the piece is an integral part of the work.” The interplay between the non-traditional art material – air conditioners – and the constructed form challenges the intended purpose and the practical capactiy of the material.