New Ideas

Lately I have been trying to think of some new ideas for pieces. I am searching for ways to make something function, but not have a specific end result or purpose attached to it. I have been looking a lot at simple machines and how they work. Travis mentioned incorporating pulleys into a piece, so I began looking at pictures and around for anything I could use to make a piece, since my budget is limited. I was looking around our studio and made this discovery in a drawer:

I figured out a way to take the axles from these wheels and make ceramic pulleys for them. Here is what I have in mind:

It is very simple right now, but it will use a hand crank to spin the pulleys. The belt will complete a closed track through the system of pulleys without completing a specific task. 

Firing Large Work

I have started to realize the stress of firing larger work. It is something fairly new to me and if I keep going in this direction I have already figured out ways to make loading and unloading easier. This got loaded today and another piece is cooling in the car kiln.

Finished and Working!

Before Thanksgiving break I was getting a little burnt out. I went to my parents house for a couple days and was able to recharge my batteries for the final push of the semester. When I got back, I worked on finishing this machine. The surface is different from others I have tried in the past and was trying to make it look like new plastic. I think the colors and brightness add a little more to the cartoon aesthetic of this piece. Here are some photos taken of it working!

New Work

 Here are some images of work that I have completed and things in progress from this week.

This piece will hold an air pump on the inside of the main slab construction. A balloon will go on the inside of the round piece with the cutouts on it and bulge out of the openings when inflated.

Here is the air pump I will be incorporating into a piece. This week I found a motion sensor that I can use as a switch to turn the pump on and off. Mike and Aaron helped me figure out some basic wiring issues I was having and how to wire it to a plug. When some one walks by the sensor, it starts the pump. The pump stays on for 12 seconds then the balloon immediately deflates. Also, the sensor allows me to adjust the range and timer, so I have control over how close someone has to be to start the pump. 

 I started this piece a couple days ago. It will be hand cranked piece with two pistons on the backside in sliding tracks. I am playing around with the form and perspective of the slab construction. It is still essentially a box, but is more architectural and whimsical. There are two valves on the right side making it appear as if there is an additional function or outcome of the piece. Also, I am going to use a metal shaft, allowing it to spin more freely.

For those who like Rube Goldberg

This is an OK Go music video that has a Rube Goldberg machine in it. It's not really a direction I ever want to take my work, but it has some nice mechanisms incorporated in it and is entertaining. If you are interested in 7th grade physics projects, like I am, then you will love this. Enjoy.

Electric Pump in a Sculpture?

A couple weeks ago I bought an electrical air mattress pump. I have been debating on using electric parts in my pieces, but I have decided to try it and see how it works. The piece I am going to build will be a wall piece and I am thinking of including some sort of off/on switch or motion sensor that will turn the pump on and off. Either of these additions will add a different interactive component to the piece to turn it on.

New Stuff

Here is a new piece I have been working on the past couple days. It will be a pneumatic piece, but slightly different. The balloon will be inflated inside of a spherical cage with openings making the balloon protrude out. I don't have the part for the balloon done yet, but this is it so far.

Nick Sevigney

Lately, I have been considering ways to make my forms less box-like. I have been looking at Nick Sevigney's work to see how he deals with form. I particularly like how different parts of his work connect and bend.

Theo Jansen's Beach Creatures

I am sure everyone has seen a video of Theo Jansen's kinetic sculptures at some point. Below is a Ted Talks video of him presenting his work. He refers to these as creatures or animals giving them names and calling them by species. During the video he breaks down certain components of the these machines made out of electrical tubing. He shows how the legs work and how each has a sense of direction, so when it touches water it knows when to turn around. Also, he shows the inner workings of each machines brain and nose. It is funny to hear him talk about these creatures as living breathing things that will one day live on their own. Hope you check this out!

Piece for Art History Class

This is a piece I am working on for Dr. Wellman's art history class. It will be attached to an air pump when I am finished, making it look like he is blowing up a balloon.. I am trying to step outside my comfort zone with this, which is why I am working with the figure. This is my first time ever sculpting a bust and working solid. So far I have been struggling with the eyes and haven't started on the ears yet. 

In Progress/ Frustrating Piece

This is how I felt at the beginning of the week. I was getting really frustrated with parts of my new piece, mainly because it is larger than the majority of my work (Hopefully everyone has seen Office Space...).

I am feeling a better about it now. There will be some pipes added to the sides, so it's not completely done being constructed. I am playing around with how the machine appears to be assembled, so it doesn't appear to be rectangular pieces of metal bolted together. Recently, I have been looking at the curves and bends of brass instruments. Also, after getting the large pipe assembled It reminded me somewhat of Tim Hawkinson's 'Uberorgan,' which got me thinking more about sound and possibly incorporating it into the work somehow.

New Crank Machine

Here is a new crank machine I finished. The rivets are a little excessive, so I am not sure how I feel about the surfacing yet. The two cranks help distribute the weight of the whole crank evenly, which helps it rotate better. 

Shit Happens...

I put my stamping machine into the GAA show in the Bates Gallery and the handle broke while in use. After working like this, I have become more emotionally detached from my pieces, so when they break, I'm not frustrated. I don't make my pieces with the intention of them breaking, but in reality machines break down sometimes and need maintenance. My piece is just like any other machine in that regard. I placed an "out of order" sign on the piece until the part is fixed. This morning I was able to remake the part, so it will be replaced in about a week. Also, the reaction of the person who broke it was priceless!

Calder's "Circus"

Here is a video of Alexander Calder performing his "Circus." It is a pretty funny video, my favorite parts are the figure blowing up the balloon (go figure...) and the trapeze artists. Enjoy!

New Stamping Machine

Here are some images of my new stamping machine. I also attached a couple of in-progress images of how I surfaced the handle and worked out kinks in the stamp to get it to work correctly. I figured out that I needed the paper on top of a soft surface when using the stamp to get it to get an even coat. In hindsight, realized it would be better to have a part built onto the piece for the ink pad and paper to slide in and out.

Testing out the stamp I made. The yellow ink did not show up well, so I decided to use black instead.

Letting the tool dip dry on the handle.

Etienne-Jules Marey's Pneumatic Studies

I have always enjoyed looking at things the relate art and science in some way. Marey's work consisted of many photographic and film studies of humans and animals. I am drawn more to his pneumatic studies and the wild machines he used to complete this research. My favorite is an image of pneumatic drums strapped to a bird in flight. Here are some other images and drawings of his work (some of them look pretty funny).

 

                    

Trying some new ideas

I have been playing around with ways to exaggerate how machines look instead of making it look like an old piece of machinery. Also, I am thinking about other surface ideas instead of using metallic surfaces. There will be another part to this piece with an air pump, so a balloon will inflate out the large opening.

Bill Campbell Visit

Yesterday, Marge, Ben, and I had the opportunity to visit Bill Campbell's studio for kiln building. It was amazing seeing his kilns are operated through computer software programs. He has complete control and monitoring capabilities for each kiln with the use of his software. The software gives charts and graphs, so you know exactly how the kilns are firing in relation to one another. He was great about sharing information and explained how we would set up a system like his.

He also gave us a tour of his studio and saw how his studio operates. We learned how he makes his clay, glazes, packs work, and much more! He seems like a great resource of knowledge and I am looking forward to learning more about his kilns when we visit again.

For images of the visit see our kiln photographer's blog (Ben)!

Kinetic and Pneumatic Inspirations

Clay as the main medium in my work provides some adversity when creating kinetic and pneumatic sculptures. I am beginning to experiment with the ridiculousness of how I am using clay to create sculpture and exaggerating them both aesthetically and functionally. I have been looking at artists such as Bernie Lubell and Arthur Ganson and how they use moving parts aesthetically. Also, I have begun looking at exaggerated machine forms in cartoons and children's books for inspiration too.

Arthur Ganson "Child Watching Ball"

 

Bernie Lubell

I had the opportunity to meet and have a private critique with Bernie last year. He was a great source of information and gave me a lot of advice with my pneumatic work. This video is great and shows a lot of his work. About half way through the video, he is repairing one of his machines, while looking and talking like a doctor. 

Lubell's sense of humor can also be seen in this video: http://vimeo.com/40287000

While looking at exaggerated machines and cartoon aesthetics, I stumbled across this image from a Dr. Seuss book. This has become the inspiration for a new pneumatic piece I have started.

Bolts and Rivets

Lately, I have begun experimenting with bolts and rivets in my pieces to making each piece look like it is made from several steel sheets. Some of my work has actual bolts connecting various parts together, but I am starting to incorporate clay bolts and rivets onto the slab surfaces. Two artists I have been looking at extensively while doing this is Andrew Massey and Randolph Silver. I think both artists incorporate these elements into their work very successfully. (The first two images are of Andrew Massey's work and last two are of Randolph Silver's work)

Finished Work

Here are some images of recently finished pieces! I am having trouble posting a video of one of them, so that will be coming soon. Both seem to be work pretty well!

Cho Ming-shun

Clay, slab built, engobe, sgraffito, burnished

Recently I have started looking at Cho Ming-shun's slab build forms. I am particularly drawn to the first image of the lever balancing. The bottom two images are from a series of slab built houses he uses as a type of board game when they are all together. They each have a savings box function too and are inspired by the board game Monopoly.

Check out more at: 

http://exhibition.ceramics.ntpc.gov.tw/2009happiness/english/fun.html

New/In Progress Mechanisms

Parts to a hand cranked piece I made this weekend which will be a linear motion mechanism.

Stamping/press machine I constructed this week. Pushing the lever will make the arm move up and down. It has a hinged lid that will allow you to see inside the piece at the lever arms while it is working.