Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
It started with a great idea from Kiel Mead. During the Hue Are You? show he said, “Wouldn’t it have been cool if we got street artists to tag all of the Mobile Homes houses?” Yes it would Kiel, yes it would.
Once I met superk8, things started to happen. Kate was my connection to some great people. She and a bunch of other artists get together for a show called the Conscious Cycle (the video below is actually last year’s Conscious Cycle).
The Conscious Cycle was held on Governors Island in NYC during the Figment festival. I met a bunch of great people there, and everyone was cool with lending me a hand. During their down time from painting the mural, they all decorated my silly little houses. So cool. I think they all turned out great.
I’ve worked with lasers, used some of the most advanced CAD around, I’ve even had a whole factory at my command (once), but I’ve never had as much satisfaction or been so inspired as when I use my lathe. Get yourself a lathe people.
I’ve a small issue. It’s similar to how people who have a job in computers (anything remotely involving a keyboard and a mouse) are often asked to fix computer problems by people who have no idea about computers.
Them: So my computer isn’t turning on anymore, I get a blue screen and some warning saying ‘Critical Error X3$$214′. How do I fix it?
Me: I have no idea.
Them: Don’t you work with computers?
People have the same reaction when I can’t build something.
Them: I want a bed, how about you build me a bed?
Me: I can’t make a bed.
Them: Don’t you make stuff?
Any other designers/makers out there have this issue?
I recently visited Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s homestead. It was incredible. I have rarely been to a place that has inspired me so much, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
Growing up, my favorite founding father (everyone had a favorite founding father, right?) was always Ben Franklin. Let’s face it, he had the best marketing. But after watching HBO’s John Adams mini-series (I can not recommend this enough, it will make you want to be a better American), I really started groovin on Jefferson. I loved the shots of him at Monticello, writing to Adams about how much he loved his home. I needed to see this place.
I knew Jefferson was a lawyer, a politician, and a writer. But I never knew what a Renaissance man he was. He was an architect (designed Monticello and the University of Virginia), a meteorologist (possibly the first in America), a musician, a zoologist, a botanist, an inventor, and a gadget guy. Monticello is now a museum and all of these aspects of his life are on display there.
Mastodon bones, given to him by Lewis and Clark, are on display (the man had dinosaur bones in his house). He has a giant 7 day clock, which he designed, that requires cannon balls as counter weights. He has a wine bottle dumb waiter hidden in the dining room fireplace. He used a polygraph to duplicate every letter he wrote. He invented automatic closing/opening doors. He invented double pane storm windows. He surrounded himself with books and art.
Haven’t done this in awhile, I saw this at Kate and Jon’s place.
Recently I gave a couple of sets of eyes to some kids (I can’t believe I haven’t done that before, stupid I know), it was great to see them play with them. They instantly started attaching them to metal things, to their hair, their clothes, so cool. Definitely one of the more fun things I’ve ever made.
