Saturday, May 12, 2007

waspdm(wb)


wind-aided solar-powered drawing machine (with bells)

a few additional details (here, here, & here)
and a closeup of the drawing

5 comments:

allen bukoff said...

cool. cool. cool. you are the joe jones of the new fluxus.

so I can't quite figure out exactly how the pencils move across the paper. i see the pencils "shaking" and I assume that the fan is causing that (shaking the wire "cone cage" to which the pencils are attached as well as also moving the pencils via wind from the fan--is there anything else moving the pencils...it almost looks like there are wires on the fan blades & they could tap the wires two of pencils are connected to?). it looks like the cone cage can also revolve, right (although I don't see much revolving in the video)? this should create a circular arc of pencil marks, which does seem to occur in the pencil drawings presented at the end of the videos.

jn said...

thank you.

the prop has a wire in each blade and those strike the pencil wires (the continual tapping in the audio - the louder click is the pencil jumping). the spinning prop also adds vibration to the structure - it's a little too flat to produce much air flow. the flat surfaces catch a little of whatever breeze is present and move the 'cage' a bit. as it moves the larger pencil, the one with the direct wire, catches and sort of holds the new position. most of the arc comes from that. right now the whole thing can twist a fair amount (roughly 180) but i'm adding a control wire since too much twist and it loses the sun, stopping the prop instantly. [i have to add that one of my favorite things about this piece is that it takes the elegance of solar power and uses it to wang away at bits of metal - kind of like using your crescent wrench as a hammer - and still ends up with these subtle little drawings.]

Allan Revich said...

What a fabulous machine J!

Wastedpapiers said...

What an elegant and amusing contraption! Jean Tinguley would be proud of you!

Anonymous said...

nicely