Pedal-powered Crane

This pedal-powered crane was built for Redmoon's Summer 2006 spectacle Twilight Orchard. A simple rule for a crane is that the weight on the end times the ratio of the boom to the counterweight's length equals the weight of the counterweight. The original design called for an 800 lb. counterweight which would support 50 lbs at the end of a 16 foot boom. Consequently this vehicle was extremely overbuilt, with ATV wheels, a differential, and a gear ratio that would allow a single person to move that kind of weight.


I had to fabricate my own axle stub brackets.


The vehicle was dressed by other designers and audio techs, and Laura Annis built the boom. The crane was equipped with a speaker on the end for a private party and then used to hang a disco ball for Twilight Orchard- in typical Redmoon style this allows the techs to be seen by the audience and perform their job with whimsical gadgetry. Here's a picture of it loading a mouse into a giant mouse wheel during Looptopia 2007:


This project represents a particular combination of form and function that I always strive for and am quite proud of in this creation.

Egophobia

Egophobia is a hip Romanian magazine for the surprising countercultural scene there. Because the Soviets modernized Romania when they took over, Romanians feel that the old ways are the truest to their history and culture and so steampunk is very popular.

The author translated my interview into Romanian, and then back to English for the English-language version of the article. Consequently my words may be put together strangely. Check out the article here.

Iris's Neo-Victorio-Egyptian fashion

My good friend Iris Bainum-Houle went to Egypt to study fashion for her senior show. She produced a striking series that referenced the Victorian obsession with Egypt. I fabricated the understructures, much like bustles, for three of her pieces:






The black staff had a steel understructure, as well as the large sleeves of the black piece. The tan outfit had a long, sarcophagus-like bustle. The pieces had casters to help them roll silently across the floor.

Iris' work for this show won the Richard M. Driehaus award for fashion excellence, as did Robyn Coffey's work the year after.

Steampunk Magazine #2

After pictures of my pennyfakething Winifred started to get around the internet, I was contacted by the editors at Steampunk Magazine and asked to write an article on how to make one.

The issue is available for download in pdf form, on page 34 of Issue 2, here.

Robyn's Post-Apocalyptic Alice In Wonderland

A Chicago School of the Art Institute senior named Robyn Coffey hired me to weld accents for a costume in her "Post-Apocalyptic Alice in Wonderland" series for her senior show. I built the shoulderpieces for the White Rabbit's costume:



Robyn's work for this show won the Richard M. Driehaus award for fashion excellence, as did Iris Bainum-Houle's work the year before.

Winifred the Pennyfakething

Subsequent to my interest in steampunk I wished to get around on an Ordinary bicycle, but had no large wheel on hand. So I flipped up the frame of a cruiser bike and invented the "pennyfakething", a DIY punk twist on a Victorian classic.

After my article on the bike in Steampunk Magazine #2, other people started making them, and so I've set up Pennyfakething.com.



Here's a video of the mount: