Today the whole of my group emailed our progress to John at Scrapstore. This is the section I wrote explaining the changes to my idea, which includes not including a school. This was a decision I took based on the desires of my partner ( John was never too keen on overcomplicating it by involving children) and the practical constraints of my basic idea.
To John
This is the Creative and Media group updating you on our progress with the project.
We've all now finished the planning stages and are ready to move on.
Jack
My part of the project is to create a film to bridge the other group member's films. I am sticking with my idea of a Rube Goldberg machine, but I am taking your advice and creating and filming it here at college instead of the school. This is due to the complexity of the task and I also thought it could show how college students like us can use the Scrap, not just children. I have drawn up several sketches for ideas and experimented with the limited materials I have to hand at college, but a final idea will come once I collect some more from the Scrapstore. I will design the machine to slow down or stop at various stages where it can introduce the other films.
September 30, 2010
September 24, 2010
Experiments cont.
Watching other Rube Goldberg machines I learned some new techniques which I practiced today. At the start of one film a bin-bag is suspended from strings, and as the strings unraveled the bag span around and gradually got lower, eventually knocking a tyre. Today I applied this principal with one of my glass jars and it worked, but a heavier object will be needed to knock anything else.
When I attached strings to another pill tray, I noticed that when I pulled them the tray would curl up and could spring back open with some force. I applied this idea by pinning down the strings and, when released, using the force to knock a jar along the table. I also rigged up a hanging jar that could be used to knock over another component of the machine.
Another of my ideas was to make a suspended weight travel along a rail. I rigged it up using jar, hanging from the plastic pulley-like object I made before, and a broom handle. It wasn't very successful as the improvised materials didn't fit neatly enough, but when I get some materials I can manufacture some runners which will let the device slide smoothly.
When I attached strings to another pill tray, I noticed that when I pulled them the tray would curl up and could spring back open with some force. I applied this idea by pinning down the strings and, when released, using the force to knock a jar along the table. I also rigged up a hanging jar that could be used to knock over another component of the machine.
Another of my ideas was to make a suspended weight travel along a rail. I rigged it up using jar, hanging from the plastic pulley-like object I made before, and a broom handle. It wasn't very successful as the improvised materials didn't fit neatly enough, but when I get some materials I can manufacture some runners which will let the device slide smoothly.
September 23, 2010
Rube Goldberg Research
Rube Goldberg
was an American cartoonist who drew satirical cartoons during the 40s and 50s, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. He gained popularity for drawing crazy machines that performed simple tasks, like this one for sharpening a pencil (by releasing a woodpecker). Contraptions like this are known as Rube Goldberg machines.
Peter Fischli & David Weiss
are a pair of Swiss artists who produced a famous Rube Goldberg machine in 1987 called “Der Lauf Der Dinge (The Way Things Go)”. It lasts about half an hour and shows a 100ft sequence of objects colliding, rolling, burning and flying. The objects they used include tyres, soap, , tin cans, fireworks, plastic bottles and petrol. It displays a great amount of ingenuity, for example setting a kettle on fire so pressure builds up inside and shoots it down a runner
Cog
is a famous 2003 commercial for a Honda Accord. Taking some inspiration from The Way Things Go, it shows various parts of the car as they form a Rube Goldberg machine. The film won lots of short film awards including a Cannes Golden Lion, which is rare for an advertisement. The film uses the car’s parts very inventively, for example spraying water onto the windshield so the wipers start walking automatically.
OK Go
are a Pop Band famous for their viral, one-take music videos. The video for their song "This Too Shall Pass" shows a massive Rube Goldberg machine. The end result is the band being covered in paint, and the machine involves a rally car, and a falling piano. Although this machine is on an epic scale, it includes some mechanics that I can replicate, especially near the beginning where the size is still relatively small.
was an American cartoonist who drew satirical cartoons during the 40s and 50s, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. He gained popularity for drawing crazy machines that performed simple tasks, like this one for sharpening a pencil (by releasing a woodpecker). Contraptions like this are known as Rube Goldberg machines.
Peter Fischli & David Weiss
are a pair of Swiss artists who produced a famous Rube Goldberg machine in 1987 called “Der Lauf Der Dinge (The Way Things Go)”. It lasts about half an hour and shows a 100ft sequence of objects colliding, rolling, burning and flying. The objects they used include tyres, soap, , tin cans, fireworks, plastic bottles and petrol. It displays a great amount of ingenuity, for example setting a kettle on fire so pressure builds up inside and shoots it down a runner
Cog
is a famous 2003 commercial for a Honda Accord. Taking some inspiration from The Way Things Go, it shows various parts of the car as they form a Rube Goldberg machine. The film won lots of short film awards including a Cannes Golden Lion, which is rare for an advertisement. The film uses the car’s parts very inventively, for example spraying water onto the windshield so the wipers start walking automatically.
OK Go
are a Pop Band famous for their viral, one-take music videos. The video for their song "This Too Shall Pass" shows a massive Rube Goldberg machine. The end result is the band being covered in paint, and the machine involves a rally car, and a falling piano. Although this machine is on an epic scale, it includes some mechanics that I can replicate, especially near the beginning where the size is still relatively small.
September 22, 2010
Experiments
I have begun experimenting with the small amounts of Scrapstore materials that I found in the college storeroom.
I rigged up a de
vice to transform a falling weight into a horizontal movement. When a weight falls on the pill tray it pulls the string, which knocks an object off the table; in this case a small jar. This is useful as it can change the direction of the machine’s path.
I attempted to make a Newton’s crad
le from the jars. It failed because they were each only suspended from one string so the collisions weren’t accurate. Also the jars, made from glass, weren’t dense enough to provide the effect, even with water in them. I think the ideal materials for this device would be tennis balls or something similar.
I rigged up a de
vice to transform a falling weight into a horizontal movement. When a weight falls on the pill tray it pulls the string, which knocks an object off the table; in this case a small jar. This is useful as it can change the direction of the machine’s path.I attempted to make a Newton’s crad
le from the jars. It failed because they were each only suspended from one string so the collisions weren’t accurate. Also the jars, made from glass, weren’t dense enough to provide the effect, even with water in them. I think the ideal materials for this device would be tennis balls or something similar.
September 07, 2010
Contextual Essays
I have researched a few practitioners who work interactively, or have relevance to my project.
September 06, 2010
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