Some pretty good finds this week. Check out the crazy adjustable brass candle sticks! I’ve also been looking for a little sheet metal machine for a while now. Not the kind of thing one expects to find at a scrap yard.
“The Team” (A.K.A.) at Maker Faire this year from left to right:
Tal Avitzur, Aaron Geman, Mark Galt, Jonathan Foote, Nemo Gould, Christopher Palmer (CTP).
Something like one hundred thousand people in attendance, and three editors choice ribbons for our booth, I think it was a pretty good year.
Getting “Head Case #2” ready for the destructive force that is Maker Faire! He’ll be on display in the Applied Kinetic Arts booth in the South East corner of Expo Hall, San Mateo fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20.
He’ll be in good company too: Benjamin Cowden, Mark Galt, Aaron Geman, Jonathan Foote, and Tal Avitzur.
See the link below for a full program of exhibitors and events:
http://cdn.makezine.com/make/makerfaire/bayarea/2012/MF12BA_Program_LoResFINAL.pdf
Big show tonight folks! Don’t come if you don’t like awesome.
305 Center Street, Oakland CA 5-9PM
Mayday! Mayday!
New piece finished up last minute before our show this weekend!
A stranger in an even stranger land finds himself in peril, desperate for a safe place to land.
Materials:
Radio cabinet, chalk line, license plate light bulb cover, typewriter cooling fan blade, radio tuning knobs, book illustration clippings, fresnel lens, LEDs, motors
Mayday! Mayday!
New piece finished up last minute before our show this weekend!
A stranger in an even stranger land finds himself in peril, desperate for a safe place to land.
Materials:
Radio cabinet, chalk line, license plate light bulb cover, typewriter cooling fan blade, radio tuning knobs, book illustration clippings, fresnel lens, LEDs, motors
Here is the video for my new piece: ”High Voltage“ 2012 (102” x 65” x 24”)
This sculpture uses an effect known as a “Jacob’s Ladder”. A high voltage arc is produced by way of a neon sign transformer, and then transmitted up the electrodes in the sculptures head. I’m personally very pleased with the movement with this one. All the action is generated within the abdomen. The little pistons in the ankles act as shock absorbers to smooth out the motion.
Materials:
Industrial water valve, scaffold tubing, street light support arms, glass tube, vacuum cleaners, lamp fixtures, bicycle pedal cranks, neon sign transformer, gears from floor polisher, magnifying lens, drain cover, high voltage vacuum tubes, hydraulic dampers, plastic, phenolic, motor, LEDs
New piece to share: “High Voltage“ 2012 (102” x 65” x 24”)
This sculpture uses an effect known as a “Jacob’s Ladder”. A high voltage arc is produced by way of a neon sign transformer, and then transmitted up the electrodes in the sculptures head. I’m personally very pleased with the movement with this one. All the action is generated within the abdomen. The little pistons in the ankles act as shock absorbers to smooth out the motion.
Materials:
Industrial water valve, scaffold tubing, street light support arms, glass tube, vacuum cleaners, lamp fixtures, bicycle pedal cranks, neon sign transformer, gears from floor polisher, magnifying lens, drain cover, high voltage vacuum tubes, hydraulic dampers, plastic, phenolic, motor, LEDs
Here is the video for my new piece:
“Cycloptopus” 2012 (65” x 57” x 29”)
Cycloptopus is a fearsome hybrid of two of my favorite monsters, one real, one mythical. This creature is particularly dangerous because of its irritability. You’d be irritable too if you were powered by an open flame and your body was made of wood.
Materials:
Radio cabinets, rocking chairs, fake fireplace, decorative clock elements, cabinet knobs, wall paper, chair parts, lamp parts, wheel hub, motors, LEDs
New piece to share: “Cycloptopus” 2012 (65” x 57” x 29”)
Cycloptopus is a fearsome hybrid of two of my favorite monsters, one real, one mythical. This creature is particularly dangerous because of its irritability. You’d be irritable too if you were powered by an open flame and your body was made of wood.
Materials:
Radio cabinets, rocking chairs, fake fireplace, decorative clock elements, cabinet knobs, wall paper, chair parts, lamp parts, wheel hub, motors, LEDs
Here is a video of my short presentation at the Exploratorium in San Francisco last weekend. It takes you through the basic process of making a sculpture, followed by an overview of my work in general.
Wow Paul Spooner, he’s huge!
Seriously though, one of my heros.
This is my latest attempt to solve the puzzle of user interface. You’re looking at a photography dark room timer routed to a high amp relay. The user pushes the bright red button to activate up to six sculptures plugged in to the back of the box for a period of one to sixty seconds. This provides people with something they can interact with without exposing the art to mishandling. UV LEDs make use of the timers glow in the dark face.
I’ll be bringing two of my smaller new pieces to Instructables Robot Block Party this evening in San Francisco. If you’d like to come by be sure to sign up at the link below:
http://www.instructables.com/community/NRW-2012-Robot-Block-Party/
First Sunday of the month = Alameda Flea Market. Always a good time. Not much in my cart today: Giant ice tongs, tiny rocking chair, small clock. A decent haul.
Spent some time recently working out the hips and ankles of a new large Robot Sculpture. Its important that these parts be sturdy and aligned well with one another. This can be pretty tricky when the elements are curved such as these.
This Jacob’s Ladder will the head for a new large scale robot sculpture I’m working on.
This will be the head (I hope) for a new large piece I’m working on. It’s a Jacobs Ladder, meaning that a high voltage electrical arc will repeatedly climb the two long electrodes inside the glass cylinder.
Sometimes the wiring can be the trickiest part. I don’t usually have to draw it out before hand, but this one required it.
Working on a possible new direction. Infinity stack of angry faces?
I’m pretty excited about this little guy so far. The machine shown on the left of the image makes him appear to struggle feebly within his punching bag confinement.
I’ll be showing my piece “The Race” at Unfinished Projects over at MotoSF in San Francisco this Saturday Feb 25th (6-11). I’ll also have one of my trophy head pieces “Heavy Metal” on display.
275 8th Street, 2nd Floor
Here is a link to the Facebook event for more details:
Instructables just posted a nice little interview I did with them last week. It’s pretty general in scope until the end when we get into details about my “Quicksilver Scooter” project that I did a few years ago.
I’ve been kind of blowing my mind on this little machine lately. Ultimately it will drive six spring loaded pistons by way of strands of beading wire. The difficulty is in aligning all the little wheels and making sure there is little to no friction. The ornate brass bits are faux wax cups from a chandelier. They function as the drive gears.
MSN recently produced a little travel segment about Oakland. I was asked to show Tanya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen around my studio and then take a little tour around town. She then returned the favor in her own segment. Check it out!
This is my wife’s birthday present. It’s a blind bunny cuz she had laser eye surgery last week. She was able to open her eyes just long enough to look at it.
This video is the first mechanical test of a little climbing monster piece I’m working on.
The mornings haul. I’m feeling fortunate to have had yet another visit from the broken violin fairy. The Zither is pretty cool too.
Motorcycle disc brake assembly + electric drill handle = geriatric robot.
