Taking Shape

Spray Foam Magazine – Spring 2025 – Themendous Scenic Studios is in Union City, NJ, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan and near the Lincoln Tunnel. Established 33 years ago, the studio specializes in providing architectural shapes, themed environments, and set designs for various industries. With project requests coming from architects and clients worldwide, their talented team of artisans is always prepared for the next challenge. Spray Foam Magazine caught up with these creative artists to learn more.

Can you tell us about the start of Themendous?

Themendous was founded by Giovanni Calabrese during his college years. He was invited to a Halloween party and needed a costume. As a creative artist, he decided to make a standout costume—a sofa chair. Everyone thought there was a sofa chair in the middle of the dance floor, but Giovanni was hidden inside, waiting for someone to sit down. It was a hit, and it inspired him to take on the next challenge.

Would you consider yourselves artists first and foam specialists second?

While we are indeed artists, we are also a business. Themendous Scenic Studios prioritizes providing the best services possible. Whether it’s art or architectural services, we strive for the highest quality to sustain our business.

How did you start working with foam for sculptures, 3D displays, signage, etc.?

Our early projects focused on advertising and media, but our design capabilities quickly expanded to architecture as well.

Why use foam instead of another material?

Foam is easy to work with and has many applications.

What was your first significant breakthrough or big-name client?

I wouldn’t necessarily say we had a breakthrough client; we’ve always been busy. However, our biggest name client has been Google. We’ve created numerous sculptures and elements for Google over the years, making Themendous well-known in the tech world.

Do you follow a specific process when working with foam?

Our production process varies depending on the project. This is where our skills as artists, designers, and builders come together seamlessly. We have developed projects from a napkin sketch, a paper outline, a Hotwire cut, or CAD/CNC designs.

Can you tell us about the foam and coating you use?

We primarily use 1 lb. Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam. EPS is a rigid, closed-cell, thermoplastic foam material. There’s no specific brand we use. What matters to us is the workability of EPS foam, which is highly applicable to everything we do. We also use a Graco Reactor E-XP2 on all our projects to help apply a polyurea Qwik Spray System by Volatile Free, Inc. It can also be used for on-site touch-up work or bonding large pieces together. However, it’s primarily used as a protective layer over the EPS foam.

What is the grandest sculpture you have ever completed?

I would say four projects stand out. The first is a giant dragon sculpture we made for a theme park in 2001. It still stands today as a testament to the material’s durability. The dragon is 18 feet tall, 31 feet long, and eight feet wide at the shoulders, with its head measuring 16 feet long. It’s designed to cantilever off its neck and includes a tunnel for maintenance access.

The second project was a multi-figure sculpture called “Monster Mash,” built from a simple line drawing of various monsters. This project was particularly challenging as it offered only one viewpoint, requiring us to design the other perspectives while maintaining accurate scale and proportions. We documented the production process on our YouTube channel in a reality TV show format, allowing viewers to see our steps and secrets in a fun way. 

The third notable project was an architectural cornice for the Squeeze Lounge Gentlemen’s Club in Weehawken, NJ. The owner requested that the ends of the cornice feature Roman warrior heads. When asked if he’d like the heads to resemble anyone specific, he replied, “I don’t care.” As a result, the heads look exactly like our studio owner, Giovanni Calabrese.

About a month after the club’s opening, a dancer approached Giovanni and asked, “You look familiar; where do I know you from?” Giovanni replied, “Outside on the building facade. You see me every day!” Even though the club has since closed, Giovanni’s likeness has greeted passersby for the past 23 years.The fourth significant project involved a massive foam precast form used by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for casting structural beams at the 92nd Street train station in 2015. The engineering company preferred this method to avoid the seams and grain typical of wooden forms, as the finished look was to be exposed cement. We provided pre-shaped foam with a polyurea hard coat finish. This project was exciting not only for the challenge it presented but also that Themendous would forever be a part of NYC construction history.  

Published by Spray Foam Magazine

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