Metal kinetic sculpture by Todd Dunning

Have a look at this fascinating kinetic sculpture by artist Todd Dunning titled Mount Rainier. I love the rusty parts, gentle squeaking, interesting forms, and how the piece shakes ever-so-slightly as it moves. Lovely video too!

From the YouTube Description:

First in a series, this 48" H. welded steel sculpture oscillates, shakes and squeaks. 'Mount Rainier' analogizes the complexity of natural systems, according to the artist.

[ Thanks Christoph! ]

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Automata Exhibition: 'Child Soldiers' by Carlos Zapata

Automata artist Carlos Zapata was born in conflict-torn Colombia in 1963. The themes in some of his work come from a personal awareness that children are all too often used in armed conflict. His new exhibition, 'Child Soldiers', addresses sad fact.

About the exhibit:

This solo exhibition contains Carlos Zapata's latest series of intimate and emotive sculptures and automata which have at their core the humanitarian often violent struggle of the innocent, often children, who are drawn in to the maelstrom of war.

Elaborating on experiences from his own personal life, Zapata delves into the human stories behind war from both ends of the spectrum - how people deal with, and deal out, violence. What people are capable of when confronted by extreme circumstances - bravery and cowardliness alike. Put simply Zapata says "death and survival comes on a daily basis for some people"

Shown below is an automaton from the exhibit titled 'Beating':

The show will open at Millennium in Cornwall, UK on May 25th and run until June 19th. You can learn more about the 'Child Soldiers' sculpture and automata exhibit by Carlos Zapata at the Millennium web site.

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Monster Head Study No. 5 - A Nasty Little Devil!

Has it been since last November that I last shared with you one of my little monster head studies? Wow. For a some background, here is where you can catch up on my posts about Monster Head Study No. 1, Monster Head Study No. 2, Monster Head Study No. 3, and Monster Head Study No. 4. This one is No. 5.

As with the all of the wooden monster heads thus far, this one started out as a 1 inch diameter hardwood ball. These come in packs of 12. Though they have no knots, they are very hard and difficult carve with hand tools. As with Monster Head No. 4, much of this one was shaped by holding it against a 1 inch stationary belt sander. Mine is an old homemade tool, but it's basically like the one shown below (but not quite as nice). It's amazing how much "carving" I do on this machine.

Once again, the head is a sphere. Two of flat planes form the nose and eye areas. The mouth was also shaped on the sander by using the edge of the sanding belt to notch into the wooden ball. I like the downward turn of the lower part of his mouth. I think it makes him look like he may be saying something unfriendly.

The eyes are a little different on this one. I found a package of assorted wooden beads and selected a dark spherical one about 3/8" in diameter. Using an Xacto Razor Saw, I somehow cut slices off of opposite sides where the hole is located. I then cut angled pieces off the top of each one to give they eyes that angry look. The bead slices were then glued on either side of the nose.

I cut a tiny wooden wheel in half and those became the ears for the monster. They are like these wooden wheels, but even smaller -- only about 1/2" in diameter. The ends of a 10" bamboo skewers became the horns. These pieces were glued into holes drilled into the top of the head.

Of the five monsters presented so far, I like this one best. He looks like a nasty little devil, but still has a whimsical quality. He'd be fun to watch from a distance, but you wouldn't want him running loose in your house. I like the proportion and placement of the horns. I also like bulging, dark eyes. And, those tiny wooden wheels make surprisingly good ears!

That's all for now. There are many more monster head studies to come so stay tuned.

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