Giant hand-cranked music box serves as street art in Cincinnati

Here is some really nifty street art in Cincinnati, Ohio!

From the project web site:

Here is a short video showing our Spinnradl sculptures in action in Cincinnati. The video features two songs on two nearly identical sculptures, sited about a block apart from each other along Pendleton Street. The songs are played by turning a crank, which spins a large cylinder that triggers an analog music box. Turning the crank also powers a pulsing, radial Moire animation on either end of the sculpture’s housing. Each song lasts about thirty seconds when spun at the optimal speed, and repeats as long as the crank is continually turned.

Here is the project web site where you can see more pictures and read more about the development of the Spinnradl.

Thanks Steve & Jere!

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Bussola: a large mechanical sculpture by Jennifer Townley

Check out the hypnotic majesty of this piece by Jennifer Townley titled Bussola.

From the artist's web site:

'Bussola' is named after the Italian word for 'compass', as this sculpture is inspired on one of Leonardo da Vinci's designs for such a drawing tool dating from 1514. The three-dimensional machine is built up from a collection of identical instruments that work in the same way as the original compass.

Here is where you can see more mechanical sculptures by Jennifer Townley.

[ Thanks Jim! ]

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I Ain't Much For Book Learnin' - a kinetic sculpture by Jim Jenkins

Check out the latest sculpture from Jim Jenkins titled I Ain't Much For Book Learnin'. The sculpture features a tower of three chairs. Motors rock and sway the bottom chair setting into motion the upper two which are balanced upon it. A globe, dunce cap, and paper airplane also put into motion.

See more art by Jim Jenkins on his web site.

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Profile of Anthony Howe and his large metal kinetic sculptures

Check out this beautiful short video profile of artist Anthony Howe. Formerly a painter, Howe has turned his considerable artistic skill toward making large kinetic sculptures powered by the wind. They are at once somewhat alien and strangely familiar -- like jellyfish from outer space cast in metal.

Here is where you can see more kinetic sculptures by Anthony Howe.

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Keith Newstead and Rob Higgs create two life-size clockwork men for the film 'The Best Offer'

What happens when you bring a well-known autoamton-artist like Keith Newstead together with a mechanical genius like artist Rob Higgs? Something like what you see in the video above happens, namely mechanical magic. Newstead has been featured here on The Automata Blog more times than I can count. Higgs has made a sensation of late with his giant wine bottle opening machine.

[ Thanks Phil! ]

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