Artist Assembles 897,560 Hand-Cut Cardboard Pieces Into a Massive Roller Coaster Sculpture

Cardboard Roller Coaster Sculpture by Daniel Agdag

Melbourne-based artist Daniel Agdag fashioned a miniature amusement park completely from cardboard. Titled Lattice, this intricate structure captures the special link between New York and Melbourne while also celebrating roller coasters as a metaphor for the ups and downs of life.

Agdag spent two years constructing this 10-foot-long sculpture, which was commissioned by the New York City Department of Education and NYC School Construction Authority Public Art for Public Schools. It references two real-life amusement parks: Coney Island Amusement Park and Melbourne Luna Park. The latter was based on the original Coney Island. To mimic the engineering of one of the oldest wooden rollercoasters in the world, Agdag assembled the truss section from 897,560 hand-cut cardboard pieces.

“The banking twists and turns created by unique geometry offer unanticipated surprises and play,” Agdag says in his artist statement. “The long downward drops powered by gravity evoke a sense of dread before the opposing force lifts skyward countering that sensation euphorically.”

While this sculpture is impressive from afar, to truly grasp the level of work that went into it, you must pay attention to the numerous details layered within the complex structure. It's truly a sight to behold.

Scroll down to see more images of Lattice, and be sure to follow Agdag's Instagram to keep up to date with his latest projects.

Melbourne-based artist Daniel Agdag created an intricate roller coaster out of cardboard and trace paper.

Cardboard Roller Coaster Sculpture by Daniel Agdag

The piece is titled Lattice and is based on Melbourne Luna Park and Coney Island Amusement Park in New York.

Cardboard Roller Coaster Sculpture by Daniel Agdag

Agdag assembled the truss section alone from 897,560 hand-cut cardboard pieces.

Cardboard Roller Coaster Sculpture by Daniel AgdagCardboard Roller Coaster

Lattice measures 10 feet long and required two years to complete.

Cardboard Roller Coaster Sculpture by Daniel Agdag

While this sculpture is impressive from afar, to truly grasp the level of work that went into it, you must pay attention to the numerous details layered within the complex structure.

Cardboard Roller Coaster Sculpture by Daniel AgdagCardboard Roller CoasterCardboard Roller Coaster

Daniel Agdag: Website | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Daniel Agdag.

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Margherita Cole

Margherita Cole is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and illustrator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Art History with a minor in Studio Art from Wofford College, and an MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice from Falmouth University in the UK. She wrote and illustrated an instructional art book about how to draw cartoons titled 'Cartooning Made Easy: Circle, Triangle, Square' that was published by Walter Foster in 2022.
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