Tuesday, June 19, 2007

In a spin

My next schools project, beginning after the summer, is a cross curricular art/science deal to make collaborative kinetic mobiles from fabric and wire. As usual, I don't have a clue what I'm going to do. I sat down with my box of bits last night and am pretty pleased with the results. This was a collaboration between myself and my dearly beloved. He did the engineering bit, I did the art. It consists of some stiffened fabric shapes (ignore the holes - aerodynamics to me is how many bars of bubbly chocolate you can stuff in your mouth at once), some washers for weight and a lo-o-o-oong spring. The fabric shapes twirl and birl from of the top of the spring to bottom, pushed by the washers which make a great sisly wizzly noise as as added bonus. Turn it upside down and it siszles and twirls back to the other end.









Sometimes it goes quite fast!

There is a wonderful blog called Bent Objects. The other day he published a mini working with wire tutorial and this is my first attempt at a wire drawing. Harder than it looks although I must say the resemblance caught in this self portrait is uncanny.

Off to play with my twizzly thing again. Auch, I just adore it!

6 comments:

Terry Border said...

Good work Grumpy! To be able to make your own toys like this is fantastic. Good work!

Digitalgran said...

Very clever stuff. yAnd, yes your wire drawing looks familiar, a proper little school marm wearing glasses.

Anonymous said...

I know nothing of aerodynamics either but the holes seem essential to me on an aesthetic basis, fab toy whatever.

Anonymous said...

That is a very nice self-portrait..I like how it has a definite style to it. (I followed your link over from Terry's blog).

Jacqui said...

I constantly amazed at the projects you bring with you for the kids. I wish my art teacher had been half as good and interesting, then I might have learnt something at school instead of falling to sleep all the time.

Anyway to the important things in life, you have been tagged: 8 funny anecdotes or factoids about yourself.

Anonymous said...

Reading about your art-filled life and what you accomplish is just the berries!! Love the whirly thing!!! Evie x