Applied Kinetic Arts

The West Oakland Rocketry Club is an Art Rocketry club, based out of West Oakland CA, that Almost Scientific has been part of since the first launch.

Every once in a while (usually at the prompting of Radio Robot) we gather up our hot glue guns, cardboard tubes, Estes motors, wires, pie, our custom designed Launch Control Case and whatever we have lying around, and together we build art rockets.  Since this is art rocketry not rocket science we work with a philosophy that the rockets don’t need to go up, but they do need to go somewhere.

We’ve built rockets out of almost everything: frozen turkeys, snow men, pods, ice, Slinky, Chinese food containers, steel, Popsicle sticks, feathers, and pork rinds.  We’ve launched them in rain and snow.

While the rockets we make are awesome and amazing to launch the best part is gathering with friends to spontaneously make art.

Below is a slide show of some of my best photos of WORC since it’s first meeting.

Enjoy. Go build your own, and leave the instructions in the box.

(and wear safety goggles)

I love the things you discover when you slowly incorporate the things you already have into a loose design.  This project really began when I was designing the Triaparator for the Steampunk Treehouse.  While designing the blades I imagined it would bee really beautiful to bend the blades upward as they opened and closed.  When I did the first sketch of this concept I drove the motion with the same cam concept I used on the Triaparator.  I quickly realized gears would be better.  Not wanting to go buy gears I began scouting round for things I could find.  Then I ran into Mark Galt (who’s in Applied Kinetic Arts) who hooked me up with some gears that could work.  Once I had the drive mechanism locked in I could really start playing with specific blade concepts.  Below are some new motion studies of some of the ideas I’ve been playing with.  Here they are turning at 1 RPM, however, I really want it to go much slower.

I’m really torn between these two concepts.  Any preferences out there?

Also, please let me know if you are having trouble with the videos not showing video.  I’ve have sporadic glitches and can’t determine on what end there is a problem.

Same concept as above but at a different viewing angle.

Here is the other cool blade design.  This video also shows a bit of the housing I’m imagining.

While we were building the Raygun Gothic Rocketship I was so busy working that I never had any time to take photos.  I never felt bad about it because there were so many great photographers taking shots of it.  Well today we had to display the Rocket for some very exciting secrete guests and I used it has a chance to finally snap some photos of my own.  Of course most of the work had been removed from the RGR so while I was shooting I began to image they were relics being displayed in a museum.

Finally got a set of gears to build a prototype of the Deep Aperture

Henry’s Hand- Hand I

As you may have read from recent posts I have been working on a number of commissions lately. The last two to reach completion are oddly enough both Deer sculptures. Since they are both finished now I have final photos to share both here, and in the “Creatures” section of my portfolio. Enjoy.

Well, not toys exactly. More like heavy, noisy tools, but just as fun as toys as far as I’m concerned. I’ve been fighting off the urge for years now to learn sheet metal forming techniques. I’ve always loved old airplanes, race cars, motorcycles, airstream trailers etc. The reason I’ve resisted all this time is that these harmless tools actually threaten my world of found objects. I’ve become so used to relying on found parts to produce curved shapes that I worry that the ability to make them from scratch will take something away from the finished product. None the less I firmly believe in moving forward and developing new skills. I’d rather risk a period of less than awesome work than face stagnating into something totally predictable.

A little while back I did a phone interview for Copper.org. I can’t claim to have much working knowledge of copper, but the article provides a nice little background on Kinetic Art in general. Check it out online, or find it archived in my press section.

I could not resist.  Go get your own. You know you want one.  (via NerdCore)

Photos of Burroughs’ belongings by Peter Ross.

http://heypeterross.com/photography/burroughs/

Because I’ve not been working on a heavily-engineered kinetic or high-voltage stuff lately I’ve returned to an earlier style of working.  I’m spending more time improvising and letting the sculpture tell me what it wants to be.  I’m also spending time working on several pieces throughout the day letting my attention wander between them.

I’ve been playing around with some really nice stainless tube and wire the past few days.  This originally started as abstract, organic sculpture but now I think I’m going to attach it to this stainless container and turn it into a planter of some kind.  I’m going to try and find a plant that will grow and climb all over the twisty bits.  I can also use the tube to create a watering system.

I love the reflection on the container.

This one is going to be kinetic. When the shaft spins the blades will pivot up.  I’m going to add to this so that its shape changes, and new actions become engaged as the blades rises.  Not sure if it will be hand powered or motor powered.

Not sure what these are at all yet.  They are all stainless and silicone bronze.  Remind me of flowers.  I’d never set out to make flowers.  This might be minimal kinetic — perhaps as a mobile of some kind.

Portraits of me at work, and my trusted shop assistant waking from a nap.

With the recent completion of a few pieces I have some final images to share. While the work itself may be familiar from previous posts, I always feel that good photography marks a piece as “finished” and ready for the good ‘ol internet.
The piece above is titled “Wildwood” and can be found in my portfolio as well as my for sale page. The two pieces below were commissions.

I can’t really say why, but sculptures themed around Deer seem popular lately. Above is a recent example in process.