“The Origin”
2011, European beech tree, found at Egelsee/Krems an der Donau, weight: 8 kg, length: 106 cm, height: 115 cm, width: 27 cm including wheels, diameter: top 6 cm, bottom 9 cm, distance between the trucks: 60 cm (It was/is possible to take it as sports luggage on an airplane).
The spaces for the trucks were cut with simple tools such as axes, saws, and files. During the first days, I fixed it with narrow skateboard trucks and small wheels, which were a gift from a friend, using normal wood screws. After the first ride, I was surprised by how well it ran. After this, I noticed that the screws were coming loose due to the vibrations, so I decided to use bolts that go through the wood instead. I also switched to large longboard wheels.
The branch was deliberately not painted or varnished to observe the natural process of decay. After four years of continuous riding in all conditions and seasons, cracks started to appear due to the drying process. Some areas of the surface have been polished by the direct contact of gripping, making them shiny. Numerous crashes have also taken their toll in the form of chipped bark, scratches, friction points, etc.
“Skinny”
2011, Cherry tree, found in Lainzer Tiergarten, Vienna, weight: approximately 3 kg, length: 110 cm, height: 120 cm, width: 25 cm including wheels, distance between trucks: 75 cm
This branch was very thin and elastic. One could jump on it, like a trampoline. The top had a diameter of about 3 cm, and the bottom was roughly 6 cm. I really enjoyed balancing on the skinny, round surface. The trucks were mounted with wood screws, which repeatedly required tightening. At first, the distance between the trucks (75 cm) made it difficult to jump onto the curb, but after a while, I learned how to handle it. The lightness of the branch gave me a feeling similar to that of gliding on water while always knowing that such a fragile branch could break any second. Being in this state of concentration and focus is irreplaceable for me. One day, I pulled the grip back so hard that the branch broke, and I crossed this threshold, thus experiencing the transience of the branch. The top part (roughly 1 m) remained in my hand, while the rest took off from under my feet, between the cars, in the middle of the street, until it came to a halt on the other side of the road. Since I was aware from the beginning that this would happen at some point, I was not sad or disappointed. My feeling in this moment was more one of accomplishment and liberation. I also knew that I will, of course, find another branch and use the same Trucks and Wheels on it.
“The Monkey”
2013, Plane tree, found in the courtyard of the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, weight: 15 kg, length: 140 cm, height: approximately 50 cm, width: approximately 60 cm, distance between the trucks: approximately 70 cm.
The name came from the monkey-like face that was naturally grown on it. And maybe also how I felt and looked riding it (like a monkey). The shape of this branch was very different from that of its predecessors. It was closer to a longboard, on which one would stand with spread legs and no longer a scooter that one could grip in the front. Once you were standing on it, it was almost impossible to push to keep going. It was actually more of a downhill-tank.
I was able to test this branch for more than a year. With the time, because of drying, the trucks began to warp in opposite directions. This natural change adds some interesting aspects, as well as thoughts/ideas and feelings.
Mimic`s
“The Clone” (Limited 9 – Art Edition _ 2017/18)
A limited Art Edition “The Clone / 3rd Generation Mimics / Limited 9” was developed in 2017/18, which was realized in cooperation with the “Angewandte Robotics Lab” and the department for wood technology at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. For this purpose, we still used the original digitalized index of the branch “The Origin,” and the material, form, and size did not change. Layered boards-birch, weight: ca. 7 kg, length: 106 cm, height: 115 cm, width: 27 cm including wheels, diameter: top: 6 cm, bottom: 9 cm, distance between trucks: 60 cm. Milled with the help of an industrial robot and not like before in 2013 and 2015 where a standard milling machine was used.
This edition was even more exact and slick. Specially after the long process of sanding, first with the machine and secondly by hand. After sanding, each piece was coated twice. We did it for the protection from dirt and water, so Branchboards from this edition are also waterproof. Using a transparent varnish, we made the individual and richly textured laminate layers visible, which made every piece even more unique and beautiful.
In the year 2017, a piece was acquired through the collection of the Univ. for applied arts and showed at the exhibition “Aesthetics of Change” in the Museum for Applied Arts (MAK) in Vienna. Also in the year 2018 by “Creative Robotics,” Ars Electronica Centrum in Linz, and as an “Innovative Product” by the International Wood, Saw, and Forester Fair presented in Klagenfurt, Austria. In the beginning of the year 2018, a second piece was acquired through a private collection in China. The same year later, on the night of 2nd September, in the 7th District in Vienna, one Branchboard from this edition (3/9) got stolen. (Details, go to: “Extended Version”. In 2023, the 4th Branchboard (Mimic 4/9) was sold to a private collection in Vienna. Currently, I use one of them myself almost daily and a second one for presentations/previews for others. Therefore, three more are still available for purchase. The price is €4,000 per piece. If you’re interested, just contact me. I’m currently working on new editions and models. I hope to offer custom-made pieces soon.
“The Clone” (3rd Generation Mimic / Unique Black – 2018)
Producing the Art Edition “Limited 9,” I got the vision of a glossy, high-polished, wet-looking, black-painted Branchboard. Just to see how it looks and how it feels to see a materialized version of it, I used the opportunity and indeed, such a piece was created. I mounted smaller trucks and hard, middle-sized black wheels on it, and the effect was amazing! I really liked it a lot from the first moment. I never exhibited or used it afterward. It’s still in perfect condition, packed, waiting for the right moment and place to be shown to the public or maybe used in one of my Branchboarding performances. I am really not sure about this; we will see.
Older Versions / Prototypes
“The Clone” (Prototype 2013)
In 2013, layered boards-beech, weight: 8 kg, length: 106 cm, height: 115 cm, width: 27 cm including wheels, diameter: top 6 cm, bottom 9 cm, distance between trucks 60 cm.
In 2013, with the help of a friend who is an architect, I was able to produce an exact copy of the branch. First, a 3D model was created, which was then cut out of laminated beechwood plates in an L-shape, using a CNC milling machine.
The shapes were then sanded and treated with wood oil. The process required roughly 60 hours of work, consisting of 20-30 hours of scanning, modeling, and machine preparation, 6 hours of cutting and laminating, and about 24 hours of milling.
The prototype was produced at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna.
“The Clone” (2nd Generation Mimics / Test Edition 2015)
In mid-July, 3 objects previously commissioned at a carpentry were completed. They consist of 3mm layered birch boards, and are more flexible and also 1 kg lighter than beech wood. The surface was roughly sanded so that the milling machine traces were still noticeable (visually and haptically).
The objects were also coated with waterproof varnish.
The 3 Branchboards were intensively tested by me and two other friends who are experienced skateboarders. These models are extremely strong and stable.
Also, riding three same Branchboards at the same time together through the city was a special (extraordinary) experience. The dynamic between us in the group was very special but also for the people on the streets, it has a performative element visually. It wasn’t one but a group of Branchboarders riding trees.
