Kevin Cunningham — CV

I make functional art – art that is designed to get wet.

Not the functional art of a chair designed to rest comfortably in a living room and not the precious commodity of stainless silverware on a dining room table, but functional art that rides the waves and carries a passenger. And as an designer and an artist I feel the need to make this art have meaning, aesthetic beauty and sustainability.

Surfers traditionally respect the ocean and environment and actively work to protect it, yet we ride surfboards that are made from highly toxic materials that are a hazard to both the people who make them and the environment.

The next phase of surfboard evolution must be about returning to natural methods [until the late 1950's all surfboards were wood]. Surfing is Nature's gift to us. In turn, we must protect Nature in any way we can. My next magic board will be 100% natural. -Gary Linden, Master Surfboard Shaper and Legend. From The Surfboard: Art-Style-Stoke

Currently my work combines my two passions, art and design, and the sea (surfing). Surfing focuses on the individual's body and movement within the space of the wave; a dance.

The surfboard is truly a functional fine art piece; a means to connect to the sea; It is the mediator between the individual and the ocean. Surfing is a connection to the ocean at the scale of the body. When in the water consciousness spreads to the entire body; unlike on land when we are constantly grounded, the water holds the body suspended. The body floats immersed in the sea as it did when inside the mother's womb. It is comforting.

Surfing is a source; a source present in my life and work. In my work as an artist and architect surfing is present not in direct imagery, but as a sensibility and feeling toward the subject whether the expression be drawing, painting, or designing. I transpose the sensations I feel surfing into my studio work: how I draw, how I make a mark on a page, how I use the movement of light to carry the eye. I detach my body from my mind and draw intuitively. I move without thinking, intuitively, as I do when I surf.

There is an ocean within the body as well. The blood which circulates through the body has a chemical composition analogous to that of the ocean. I feel this connection in the water, two seas separated by a thin layer of skin; one internal, one external. The skin holds the ocean within our body as architecture holds life within a building. The two are separated from the outside, but not detached. There is a connection present in the porosity of the skin of the body and of the building.

Much of my work evokes the quiet and hermetic experience of surfing. Each wave is an individual experience; it is in the time waiting between waves that surfing has a social culture. The space of a wave is very intimate; the continuous transition of the surface as ground, wall, ceiling, ending with the eventual complete enclosure with only an opening to daylight. As I create each project I focus on the work as a cohesive whole, not just an individual piece but a series of work. I focus on craftsmanship and quality; materials are important; poetic meaning informs work.

Every wave ridden is a poetic dance on water, a performance piece meant only for the individual on the wave. I move with the wave, not against it, we dance together for a few seconds. When it is over I paddle back out and wait for another wave with which to dance.

It is in waiting I live- waiting for an ocean swell to bring waves, waiting for the tides to change, waiting for a wave. There will never be a time in my life when the waiting will end; I will always be waiting for the next wave. The oceans shape waves, I shape surfboards; the two combine in the act of surfing.

HWS (Hollow Wood Surfboard) Spirare explores innovative surfboard design using alternative materials and methods to make highly functional pieces of fine art that emphasize green design and sustainable construction


The title 'Spirare' is the Latin root of spirit- to breathe, breath, the breath of life, the soul. I will breathe new life into surfboard design and help surfing regain its soul. Hollow Wood Surfboard Spirare is the design and building of "green" surfboards.

In 2005, Clark Foam, the world's leading provider of surfboard foam, closed its shop and ceased making surfboard blanks (surfboard blanks are molded foam from which a surfboard shaper makes a board). The Environmental Protection Agency restrictions surrounding the toxic materials used in the production process led Clark to shut down. Through this one closure, which effectively removed the basic building block of surfboards worldwide, surfers and the surfing industry went from potential polluter to potential advocate. While surfers are traditionally active in the protection of oceans and environments, they have historically used a product that is highly toxic and creates a large amount of liquid and solid waste; in a foam board with a wooden stringer only 3-4% is renewable material. Now the surfboard industry needs to discover new methods and alternative materials that have little or no harmful impact to the environment.

Utilizing research, my education in design and my hands, I will create surfboards that are aesthetically beautiful and functional but that are "green" in design and sustainably constructed with today's perfornance standards in mind.Using a lightweight hollow honeycomb core of wood, I will minimize the weight of the finished product. The boards will have a thin wood skin that wraps the board, making it a watertight cohesive whole strengthened with bamboo fabric. My design will be lighter thanother wooden surfboards and comparable to the weight of foam.

My past experiences include my education at Rhode Island School of Design my work as an architect, my knowledge of fine woodworking, and my experience as a surfer and surfboard shaper. I also have an enthusiasm for creating art and pursing an idea. I have been making surfboards since 2003 and have shown them in gallery shows at RISD, The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Mass and most recently I have exhibited a surfboard at the Sacred Craft surfboard exposition in Del Mar, California. I take my work seriously and believe it to be of a high caliber.

From my education and work as an architect, I understand structure and material strength, both of which are important in the design of my hollow honeycomb wood surfboards. Material stresses, modulus of elasticity (how far it can bend before snapping), and tensile and compression forces are all factors that I have incorporated into my design. My experience as a surfer/surfboard shaper is also important: from actual use I know how surfboards work and how to make them.

Designing an aesthetically beautiful surfboard is a priority. Using elements from my own past work in architecture and drawing, I will incorporate intricate wood inlays and patterns in the exterior skin of the surfboard and revive the beauty of the object. Modern surfboards, made of foam and fiberglass resin, are rarely detailed or decorated in any way, but are left plain white. Thirty to fifty years ago, all surfboards were handmade for a specific person and included an exceptional amount of detailing and beauty within their construction. While many new boards are being imported from overseas factories that mass produce their product, I believe surfing to be a form of art or dance and that the surfboard should be a functional art piece. Fine art has been lost in surfboard construction. Surfboard makers have dropped fine detailing for cost effectiveness.

I want to bring aestetic beauty back to surfboards. My enthusiasm for design and surfing have led me to start this project. Over the past eighteen months I have been working to bring this idea to life.

The research phase is already complete and was very successful. I have thoroughly researched design trends in surfboard construction, past and current, and materials that are "green"/sustainable. I have also completed most of the design work that I am currently testing in small mock-up pieces as part of the prototyping phase which is also showing much success. During the grant cycle, I will be working or fabricating a series of ten to twelve surfboards.

Working with progressive Green surf organizations I will have the help needed to successfully complete this project. From the research and design testing I have already completed I know this project is achievable. My perseverance and passion to see it to fruition will easy carry me through the next stages during the grant cycle.

I believe this project to be of importance because of the negative impact current surfboard construction has on the environment and public health. This project will show the surfing industry that non-toxic/"green"/sustainable lightweight functional surfboards are possible. My research has also shown that the wood boards I have designed will function better than the standard foam surfboards being used today. My design does not impact the environment, public health, and personal health as surfboard shaper negatively.

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Kevin Cunningham — Artist Statement

Kevin Cunningham is a graduate of The Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelors of Architecture and Fine Arts. He began shaping is 2003 and his boards have been exhibited in galleries and museums around New England. Kevin is also a recipient of the 2008 Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Fellowship in Design for HWS Spirare, a project to develop progressive Green hollow wood surfboards.

Kevin is currently exploring innovative surfboard design using alternative materials and methods to make highly functional pieces of fine art that emphasize Green design and sustainable construction. Kevin is currently shaping and surfing in Rhode Island, USA.

Kevin Cunningham &mdash Resumé

Summary
Five years experience managing a surfboard design studio with work that has been exhibited in galleries in Rhode Island as well as the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts. Recipient of the Rhode Island State Council of the Arts 2008 Design Fellowship. Over three years combined experience in architecture and construction; working as both designer/manager and carpenter.
Professional Experience
The Whiting—Turner Contracting Co.,
Framingham MA
Field Engineer — May 2007 to Current
Manage and supervise a broad range of work in commercial projects for this large scale contracting company with projects through out the US. Oversee safety and quality and manage subcontractors through out duration of project.
Kevin Cunningham Surfboards,
Providence RI
Designer — December 2003 to Current
Designer and shaper of innovative wood and foam surfboard designs using alternative materials and methods to make highly functional pieces of fine art that emphasize Green design and sustainable construction. Recipient of the Rhode Island State Council of the Arts 2008 Fellowship in Design for HWS Spirare, a project to develop progressive Green hollow wood surfboards
Kevin Cunningham Architecture Design,
Providence RI
Designer — July 2006 to Current
Freelance Architecture Design and Building including furniture design, trade show booth design, preliminary architectural layout and sketches, and zoning code research.
Wil Armster Architect,
Guilford CT
Graduate Architect — July 2005 to July 2006
Small architecture firm working primarly in residence design. Worked on all aspects of architecture projects from initial design models and drawings to construction documents, project management, and jobsite management. Projects included new residences construction and residence additions.
Wil Armster Architect,
Guilford CT
Graduate Architect — July 2005 to July 2006
Small architecture firm working primarly in residence design. Worked on all aspects of architecture projects from initial design models and drawings to construction documents, project management, and jobsite management. Projects included new residences construction and residence additions.
Stephenson's Construction Co.,
Attleboro MA
Carpenter's Assistant — Summer 2002/2003
Small architecture firm working primarly in residence design. Worked on all aspects of architecture projects from initial design models and drawings to construction documents, project management, and jobsite management. Projects included new residences construction and residence additions.
Skills
Computer —
AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office
Design —
Architectural Drafting/Sketching-Measured Drafting: plans, sections, elevations, isometric, & perspective
Fabrication —
Extensive wood shop knowledge, safety training, 30 hour OSHA training, model making in: wood, paper, plaster, and metal, surfboard construction
Education
Rhode Island School of Design,
Providence RI
Bachelor of Architecture, 2005
Bachelor of Fine Art, 2004
Ehxibitions, Grants, & Publications
January 2008
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
Fellowship in Design recipient.
February 4-26, 2008
2008 RISCA Fellowship Exhibition
Foam and fiberglass surfboard with wood and abalone inlays.
October 12-14, 2007
Sacred Craft Exposition - Del Mar CA
"Shapers of Tomorrow" Exhibit - Surfboard featured in show.
January - May 2007
RISD Routes Exhibition - Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton MA
Spirare Surfboards
Foam and fiberglass surfboards with wood inlays.
March 23, 2007
Boston Globe - RISD Routes Review
Review of Spirare Surfboards Grants/Publications