Cover design by Yuko Nishigaki.
Before they race, kinetic sculpture teams learn how to weld, solder and cut metal.
By John Steele
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Team OctoVishnu has no idea what it's in for. Erik Silverson holds the power saw with confidence, almost like a pro. His partner John quickly reaches for the earplugs. The dangerous tool starts with a high-pitched whir. But this noise is nothing next to the sound that follows.
As the saw hits metal, an ear- splitting shriek reverberates off the 50-foot ceiling. An airborne fire spews more sparks than a fireworks display onto the workbench below. The rest of the class gawks, afraid to move.
Team OctoVishnu is one of several attending the 2008 Kinetic Sculpture Tutorial in an undisclosed warehouse location in West Philly. The April 6 event, led by the North Kensington Community Development Corp. (NKCDC) and Neighborhood Bike Works, aims to educate sculptors on welding, soldering and cutting metal in preparation for the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby on May 17.
Goggles are donned, sparks fly and red-hot metallic dust is spewed in every direction. And when the smoke clears, two teams are well on their way to kinetic glory.
Silverson finishes his cut, and out steps Andy Dyson. Dyson is executive director of the Neighborhood Bike Works and a former mechanic and designer for Bilenky Cycle Works. You can hear a pin drop as participants watch with the same rapt attention they'd paid to Silverson as Dyson demonstrates his pipe-cutting technique.
And in the cavernous West Philly warehouse, that's no small feat. Unfortunately for organizers, neither was securing the location in the first place.
Neighborhood Bike Works operates out of the basement of St. Mary's Church, but its youth group isn't prepared for this type of tutorial. "We're not allowed to have these kinds of tools on site," Dyson says. "We're not a licensed trade school." Because the owner of the warehouse didn't get the proper permits to house the tutorial, the location had to be kept a secret from attendees and the press until the day of the event.
A large steel garage protected the activities of the tutorial from the outside world, making it hard for participants to find the place. "But," Dyson says, "that's the politics of Philadelphia, I guess."
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| Vicious cycle builder: Neighborhood Bike Works' Andy Dyson's enthusiasm is unflagging. |
Kathryn Doherty-Chapman, economic development assistant at NKCDC, says a kinetic sculpture is "a human-powered, all-terrain work of art."
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