Wednesday, February 6, 2008

coffee cup conveyor belt calendar


Kinetic sculpture, take II (take one is still in the works, but I am multitasking).  This is a photo of a little sketch model I made with paper cut-outs and toilet paper rolls, but what I'm working on now will be a fully functional conveyor belt.  Seven unfired slip cast ceramic cups will be on the belt at any given time (cups of the disposable coffee shop variety, not mugs like the ones I made out of paper in the picture above).  The belt will turn so that one cup will fall off the end of the conveyor belt every day, signifying that day's end.  There will be a large quantity of "cups in waiting" (or "days to come") stacked up on the floor on one side of the "calendar", so another day can be added to the end of the "week" when one day ends.  And obviously there will be a steadily growing pile of broken cups on the other side ("days gone by").  When all of the cups in are eventually broken (I haven't decided how many I will make yet, but the days will certainly be "numbered"), I'll be able to collect the broken pieces, crush them up and make them back into porcelain slip, with which I will cast the next "life" of the project (recycling, or reincarnating, the materials).  The best part is that I was given a mechanical clock motor by one of my mentors, Fred Tschida.  It has to be wound up every day with a cool little brass key, and it makes the greatest sounds. Tick tick tick tick tick....


I am making seven molds to cast with; one for every day of the week.  This is the lid of the mold for "Tuesday".  

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