Watkins, I was actually thinking of going the other direction with similar materials. I was thinking of a thin plywood core with medium density foam blocks glued to it. In the art project, this might be suspended in an arched tower above pedestrians.
Of course, a City engineer will be involved in safety issues, but the safest thing would be something that would not kill and be less likely to injure in a worst case situation.
I even considered aerogel until I found out it is the most expensive building material possible.
I would like to produce a miniature in brass for my desktop.
Carbon fiber would be interesting but again expensive.
A ferrous metal core and super magnets embedded in the end blocks would be fun a long as you did not get your fingers caught between modules.
A lot of possibilities.