Sculpture

Superegg

Three thousand used coffee capsules arranged into perfect lines on a two-metre mathematical form that appears to levitate above ground.

Jaco Roeloffs

Nov 10, 2023

3 min read

Portfolio, Swell Sculpture Festival, Superellipse, Nespresso, Gold Coast Tourism, Gold Coast

Sculpture Information
Completion	2019
Exhibition	Swell Sculpture Festival 2019, Gold Coast
Recognition	SWELL Emerging Artist Award 2019, Platinum A' Design Award 2020
Sponsorship	Nespresso Australia, Gold Coast Tourism
Dimensions	2038mm (h) x 1463mm (w)
Materials	Used Coffee Capsules (3,247), Aluminium
Current Location	Private Collection, Brisbane
Status	Available for exhibition (artist's collection)

I made Superegg for the 2019 Swell Sculpture Festival on the Gold Coast. The form is a superellipse, documented by mathematician Gabriel Lamé and stretched into three dimensions. A shape between egg and sphere, rigid geometry meeting organic curve.

The surface holds 3,247 discarded Nespresso capsules collected through a community call to action on social media. The capsules are random in colour but arranged into perfect vertical lines that follow the form's geometry. The randomness creates texture. The grid creates order.

The volume of single-use waste becomes visible at scale. Over three thousand capsules that were trash 30 seconds after use, now organized into geometric structure. The work doesn't accuse. It presents. The capsules are engineered objects, metallic and colourful. Arranged into discipline, they become something else.

The sculpture uses a buried post system. A steel base sunk below the sand line, the form mounted above ground and secured. At 2.04 metres tall, the work registers from distance on the beach but rewards close inspection. From 20 metres, you see the overall form. From two metres, you see individual capsules and their metallic colours catching light.

Nespresso sponsored the work with and featured it on their social media. Gold Coast Tourism used it on the front page of their 2019 campaign. The work won the Platinum A' Design Award in 2020 in the Art category.

The technical challenge was manufacturing precision. Over 3,000 holes drilled into curved aluminium panels, each sized to hold a capsule. The grid had to be mathematically perfect or the geometry would fail visually. I calculated the spacing, fabricated the panels, assembled the form in my workshop, then prepared it for transport to the festival.

Superegg is part of my permanent collection. It's available for institutional exhibition or site-specific installation. Seven years on, the aluminium hasn't corroded and the capsules haven't degraded. The work has proven its durability for long-term outdoor exhibition.