People's Sculpture Racing

The following submissions were chosen by our panel of jurors. Each contender has an image of their prototype or poster on the Sculpture Racing Design Exhibition page. Those that participated in the demonstration race, the Circumambulation of the MIT Museum are also featured on a page. More, detailed images to come!

Contenders (Listed alpha by team or artist’s last name as originally submitted)

1.  Flock (2015), Artist Operation

2.  Mobile Happily Distribution Center (2015), Be Be

3.  Bedlam Express (2015), Jeff Del Papa/Artisan’s Asylum Team

4.   Dizzy (2015), Jeff Del Papa/Parts & Crafts Team

5.  Giant Baby Carriage (2012), Anonymous

6.  Canard (2015), Jehanne-Marie Gavarini

7.  Tsunami Wave Machine (Homage to Hokusai) (2015), Steven Hahn

8.  Sisyphus (2015), Harvard Physics Team

9.  Rolling Slit Gong (2015), Jay Havighurst

10.  BiblioBurro (2015), BurroBibliotecarios

11.  Caterwaul (2015), Everything Muffin Collective

12.  Leonardo’s Flying Machine (1999), Mitch Ryerson

13.  Two Orbits Toll Along (2015), Gianna Stewart

14.  Apoplectic Apocalyptics (2010 & 2015), William Turville

15.  Big Fish (1980s & 2015), William Turville & Musketaquid Arts & Environment Program

16.  Chariot of the Cods (2001 & 2015), William Turville

17.  No. 2 (1982), the late Bill Wainwright

Mags Harries, Laura Knott, and Nick Capasso review submissions at Mags’ studio last week for the inaugural race.

“This is the most fun I’ve had all week!” Nick said.

Jeff Del Papa’s new class for adults.

Here’s a link to the notice on the Artisan’s Asylum website.

“I enjoy things on wheels, because they speak of the American life” — George Greenamyer, in the video.

YouTube image below is of Arthur Ganson looking at Faster!, his first piece for the World Sculpture Racing Society.

See Multimedia section for more, including another short video of the same event.

PSR Chief Enginerr Jeff Del Papa’s Message to Artisan’s Asylum Members and to the General Public:

A feature of Cambridge River Fest in the 80’s, is returning from a long hiatus, Sculpture Racing.  Creations were pushed, pulled, and occasionally pedaled on a course of up to a mile.  Pieces would stop and give little performances to the crowd.  Outlandish trophies were awarded.  Tongues may have been planted in cheeks.  Crowds were over 100 thousand strong.

The Asylum has been asked to build and race an entry in the re-inaugural event on June 6th. Here is a chance for the Asylum community to build a large and somewhat silly piece of art, and show their work (and the Asylum’s name) off to many thousands of people.  An object almost as big as Stompy, but providing near instant gratification,  as it will be weeks rather than years in the making.

Starting on April 12th with an “organizational” meeting, and continuing Sunday mornings  till mid to late May, will be an open building event.  This isn’t a class, its a project.  If you are a member, participation is free. (If you aren’t a member, you are still welcome to participate, and a 5 pack of day passes should cover things)  Festivities will be from 10 am till around 2 PM, in the Tardis (aka MPR2).  On April 26 instead of building, we will be part of an exhibition at the MIT museum, a “Signature” event of the Cambridge Science festival, showing drawings, some work in progress, etc.

Here is a chance to figure out how most theatrical props get made, but this is for more than the foam carving brigade.  Costumes would be a great thing, and an area which I am completely clueless.  The machine could use lighting and sound effects.  Skunk, could SCUL come up with a Disco ball to replace the knob on the front?
—

This flyer, using Geoff Koetsch’s images, was designed by Caleb Martin, with minor tweaks by other team members.

Sculpture Credits
Top image: left John Weidman; middle unknown; right Kirby Scudder.
Middle left image: Bill Wainwright (this piece is now erected in Cambridge near the Galleria Mall)
Middle right image: Jo Kord
Bottom image: Pat Keck (with the artist behind)

You can now donate via the Cambridge Arts Council.

Wonderful news! The Cambridge Arts Council will take us under their non-profit umbrella through June 30.

Sponsor artists by contributing to our artist support fund. We will distribute honoraria to emerging artists to help them realize their dreams and to professional artists to raise the aesthetic values of the project to a higher plane! You are welcome to offer a named grant in honor of someone or your project.

Thank you, Cambridge Arts Council and CAC Executive Director Jason Weeks!

This opportunity is as “beautiful as the chance meeting on a dissecting-table of a sewing-machine and an umbrella” – Lautréamont, inspiration for Dali’s “Sewing Machine With Umbrella” above.

The 2015 Call for Entries is here! Look under Race!

Please distribute it widely. Also suitable for printing & posting!