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.