City of splinters

Last weekend, I went to the incredible Makerfaire in San Mateo, just south of San Francisco. There was so much to see at this annual mega-celebration of DIY activity. The thousands of visitors were there to encounter inflated giant asparagus, tesla coil DJs, EL wire remote controlled sharks, felted moustaches, oversize puppets....the list goes on! For now, I'll focus on very impressive project: Scott Weaver's toothpick art.

Scott's work was on display as part of the Exploratorium's stand. As you can see from the images below, he is a master sculptor in the medium of toothpicks. He's been developing his skills in the craft since age 8!

I'm sure you textile designers out there will appreciate the time that goes into building up something cohesive (and even beautiful!) from a pile of loose fibers.

Enjoy watching the video here:

Scott Weaver's Rolling through the Bay from The Tinkering Studio on Vimeo.

Photos below are by Luigi Anzivino of the Exploratorium's Tinkering Studio, where Scott's piece Rolling Through the Bay is on display.

Gestural Engineering

Cory's Yellow Chair, by Arthur Ganson, 1997 (watch video here)

The MIT Museum in Cambridge is a celebration of science and technology, showcasing a range of discoveries made by campus researchers. The ground floor hosts a fascinating collection of holograms, representing "historical breakthroughs and state-of-the-art techniques". Adjacent to that is an in-depth exhibit about brilliant work in nanotechnology. Interactive portals, designed to engage and educate the public, describe how that research will impact our day-to-day life in the future.

You leave the museum with a deeper understanding of the culture behind scientific discovery. Arthur Ganson's one-person exhibit, Gestural Engineering, is an essential piece of that understanding. His elegant sculptures distill the spirit of invention. Each poetic machine tells its own story by combining miniature props (dollhouse chairs, a garden of rice grains) with the world of machines (gears, springs, oiled steel, and a symphony of whirring sounds).

"We read objects in motion on both the objective and subjective levels," says Ganson. "A machine may be about fabric or grease, but it may also be about thick liquid and sensuous movement. A bit deeper, it may be about meditation or the sense of release. And taken yet another step, it may be about pure invention and the joyfulness in the heart of its creator."

The machinery is as intricate as the inner workings of medieval clocks; the props evoke the world of a toymaker; the narrative element reminded me of the humor of a puppeteer. In the context of the MIT Museum, Ganson's world articulates the sense of delight that makes science so engaging.

http://web.mit.edu/museum/exhibitions/ganson.html

Four wallpapers in one

This wallpaper by Carnovsky (a Milan based collective) shows layers of patterns in different colours (green, red, yellow and blue). With normal light, all the layers appear at the same time. The magic happens when they are exposed to a colored light (green, red or blue). Suddenly some of the patterns are revealed while the others become invisible! The potential of the idea is infinite, so much to play around with!





So inspiring and brilliant, isn't it? (Or should I say bright?)

RGB Wallpapers by Carnovsky for Jannelli e Volpi. Photos by Luca Volpe // Image Courtesy of Carnovsky. Found while blogging around on the Yatzer website.

Textiles in da (ware)house!

On 12–13 September 2009, the Science Museum at Wroughton will be holding a Festival of Innovation, when part of the stored collections will be open to the public, supported by a wide range of events on site. Jenny's Ferrofabric and other magnetic stuff will be present.

The Science Museum took ownership of the 545-acre (2.21 km²) former RAF Wroughton airfield in 1979, to be used as a storage facility for the largest objects of the Science Museum. A collection of approximately 20,000 objects are currently kept in six of the hangers, from the first hovercraft to MRI scanners, and computers to (de-activated) nuclear missiles. The Science Museum at Wroughton is currently a museum store serving the conservation, object storage, and transportation needs of the Science Museum, and is not open to the public except during occasional Open Days or on monthly pre-booked group guided tours during the summer.

The site is also home to the Science Museum Library and Archives, which are open to the public by appointment.