The Flying Machine
This sculpture is comprised of a 12’ tall tripod, a central shaft for horizontal rotation, and a counterweighted 25’ long boom that teeters up and down. On one end of the boom, I loaded exhausted propane tanks with 600 pounds of birdseed and mud. A chain for a harness is attached to the opposite end. The central pivot is located one-sixth along the weighted boom, creating a 1:6 mechanical advantage—subtracting roughly 100 pounds of weight for the operator.
I executed this sculpture at Franconia Sculpture Park as a 2018 spring intern. The motif of flight contains contradictory associations, impossibility or foolishness on one hand, and human triumph over fate on the other. Icarus, tarot, the biblical Tower of Babel, and Kant’s Transcendental Aesthetic all point to an ominous boundary that defines the limits of human subjectivity and scale. I wanted to turn myself into just another formal element, subject to not separate from larger movements.
There are parallels here to how I feel about climate change, and how technologist optimism is just another form of religious faith that substitutes humanity for the earth in a geocentric model of the universe.
Parts and Process
Alignment Jig
I made the tapered boom with different lengths of salvaged pipe. This image is of an adjustable welding jig for aligning stock with different diameters. I drilled parallel holes on either end of three short lengths of pipe to stabilize tapered fit-ups. The clamping feet are short lengths of angle iron with welded bolts, and the top nuts adjust alignment in finer increments.
Vertical Shaft Pivot
Two sets of bearings with a long axle form the central vertical pivot. This allows horizontal rotation.
Counterweight
I filled six empty propane tanks with water to displace any residual gas that might cause an explosion. I then cut the tops off with an angle grinder to make vessels. Each vessel was filled with a mixture of bird seed and mud to simulate a miniature habitat. Their weights change with precipitation, movement, animals feeding, and plant growth. This in turn affects the moving dynamics of the sculpture.
Top Mounted Pivot
Two pillow block bearings are mounted to 1/4” plate. A short axle is welded to the boom allowing vertical tilt. This assembly sleeves over the main vertical shaft and locks in with set bolts. Large bearings can get pricey. I got mine cheap from Ax-Man in Minneapolis.
Tripod Base
The base of the sculpture is a 12 foot tall equilateral pyramid. Lots of odd compound miter cuts. Thank god for trigonometry, and doubly for filler rod when my math turned out wrong.
An Aside:
Jan Baptista van Helmont (1580-1644) determined that plants do not gain most of their mass from soil. He conducted an experiment where he grew a willow tree in a weighed amount of soil, only adding water for five years. He then compared the weight of the soil and tree and found that the willow had increased in weight by 165 pounds (76 kg), while the soil hardly changed in weight. He concluded that water contributed most of the mass. This isn’t entirely accurate.
95% of biomass in plants consists of carbon and oxygen, meaning they take most of their mass through photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide. Wonderful stuff. We’re lucky to have them.
