Jupiter-Class Astrobots – Skunkadelia https://skunkadelia.com Steel Sculptures of Friendly Robots Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:25:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://skunkadelia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cropped-skunkadelia-favicon-1-32x32.gif Jupiter-Class Astrobots – Skunkadelia https://skunkadelia.com 32 32 Nahamani j410 https://skunkadelia.com/works/nahamani/ Sat, 18 Dec 2021 20:10:13 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7945 Hero j133 https://skunkadelia.com/works/hero/ Thu, 22 Feb 2018 17:03:17 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5371 Zzyzzy j327 https://skunkadelia.com/works/zzyzzy/ Fri, 20 Oct 2017 02:46:48 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5181 Dionysus class Astrobot, but the more I picked though the parts bins, the more I was drawn toward something larger: then I rediscovered this amazing wizard-head of an auger, buried in the bottom of one of my larger pails. When I found a steel flange that fit perfectly over the cone to rest on the rest of the 'head', I couldn't resist making a body to suit. He started out with his legs half the size they wound up being, but this time I wanted to make a lanky Astrobot. I used to work in a close-up magic store in Burlington Vermont back in the mid-90s. I learned a bunch of close-up magic basics that I still play around with it sometimes for friends, as well as my friend's kids. I like to think that my gang SCUL is magic. I like to define magic as nature or technology that is beyond the comprehension of the observer; I suppose under that definition I think the postal system is magic. His hands articulate: the palms were constructed from this strange pipe clamping set I got from a good friend of mine. The set only comes with one set of jaws for each size of pipe, so naturally one hand is larger than the other. I chose the wizard to be left-handed. I took apart a differential from an automobile, these make up the elbows and knees. Most automobile parts are too rusty, or oily, or big and awkward for robots of my scale. I won't go looking for parts like these but I'm happy when someone donates them to me. By the way, nearly 100% of my metal is donated, and almost all of that is delivered to my studio. This was very much appreciated since I had been living car-free from 1999 to 2017. This wizard has a bunch of very old open-ended wrenches, which are very beautiful to me. When I had the thought to weld a nut into each open ends, I was surprised how small the nut was for the size of the head. It has to do with the strength of the steel: before wrenches were drop-forged, the steel was softer - so they had to be thicker to withstand the torque required. I'm particularly fond of the s-shaped wrenches I used for his Achilles heels. There are a lot of subtle details on these tools that make for a more interesting form. One of my mentors, Marjorie Picchi, one said to me "When you think you are done, that's when you're halfway done." Zzyzzy took much longer than most of the Astrobots I've made, but he looked done while standing around at my studio. I took breaks from the work for weeks at a time, sometimes distracted by other projects, but also to get to know him. One day I went to work in my studio and when I saw him I just stopped in my tracks and just smiled - that's when I knew he was complete. Long before I learned how to weld, I was planning to make a giant menacing looking robot from steel duct work. I had no good source for materials, but I was convinced I could find what I needed enough to buy some big copper rivets to join the steel together. I'm very glad I never took on this project, as I prefer what I'm doing now - but I kept the rivets for nearly twenty years before Zzyzzy came along. I found them to be the perfect accent for all the fake joints. They look great with the bronze 'charm rivets' too. Zzyzzy represents the best of my work and I'm very proud of how he came together. I enjoyed having him as a companion for three years before he left home for his own adventures.  ]]> Davis j325 https://skunkadelia.com/works/davis/ Wed, 18 Oct 2017 18:15:55 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5174 Forty bicycle parts, two ride-share station connecting pins, tallbike disco-ball cradle (formerly an iMac part), three flanges, twenty eight square punch blanks, fourteen flooring nails, twenty-one washers, two castle nuts, two cover plates, two CO2 cartridge tops, copper, bronze. 22.5 lbs 22 x 12 x 7 inches While I have had many Astrobots of mine survive for winters outdoors, Davis j325 is my first public art piece, thanks to the Somerville Arts Council's Phone Box Art Project. It's an honor to have such a fantastic spot for Davis to be: between to the Somerville Theatre outdoor ticket booth and the Davis Square T Stop. Obviously I named Davis j325 after the square she inhabits. I built her to be tough in the hopes she will survive on her own: although I find Davis Square to be very friendly, she still has to endure whatever life and the elements throw at her. I added what I feel is a little piece of Somerville history into Davis. My bicycle chopper gang, known as SCUL, has looped Davis Square dozens - if not hundreds - of times on its Saturnight missions; Davis is one of the few 'constellations' we often loop twice. For ten years my ship - the flagship of SCUL, UBS Cloudbuster, carried what we referred to as the 'Disco Deth Stah': a sixty-pound telescoping mast supporting a lit and rotating mirror ball - a shining beacon of my beloved gang, originally inspired by Project MUM. After many missions and more than a few crashes - the last of which was into a giant I-beam under a bridge near Assembly Square that nearly dashed me to the rocks of the low waters of the Mystic - I retired the sixty pound telescoping mast, and saved the steel for later projects. The skirt of Davis j325 was once the very cradle that supported the Disco Deth Stah, and has seen traveled on many amazing adventures before retiring. SCUL was a huge help in the installation process: Red Squirrel, Leotard, Acehole, Rad Max, Lord McFuzz, Perilous, Buckminister, Pastry Queen, Excess, Kpafun, and the passerby who owns a cordless sawzall, pitched in and provided support. The installation took four hours and were done before sunset, so we did not have to work in the dark. There was a lot of excitement from passers by as we worked, delighted to see the new lady Davis. I felt strange leaving her alone for the first time, as if I was forgetting something; however as we rode away toward our home base, a feeling of great joy came over me, knowing she'll hopefully serve as a reminder to those to stay tough, keep your eyes wide open and your chin up, and to stay positive and hopeful no matter what life throws at us. I'm also excited to have Davis j325 live so close to the Somerville Theatre, since I have been making the trophies for the Boston Independent Film Festival since their second year. I regularly check in on Davis, since she's on my regular commute: but I'm hoping Davis will take care of Davis, and Davis will take care of Davis in return. Coordination help from Emily Abramovich.  And special thanks to Ian Judge @ Somerville Theater.  ]]> Fanti j49 https://skunkadelia.com/works/fanti-j49/ Tue, 04 Oct 2016 06:24:19 +0000 http://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=4630 Benno j170 https://skunkadelia.com/works/benno/ Tue, 04 Oct 2016 04:04:21 +0000 http://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=4606 Phoebe j284 https://skunkadelia.com/works/phoebe-j284/ Thu, 19 May 2016 15:17:33 +0000 http://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=4309 USB Cloudbuster. The hub died when a dog ran in front of the ship and I braked so hard the coaster arm's strap broke, spinning the axle  and shredded the internal gears. While Phoebe's head is able to rotate left and right, it takes some finesse and a little gear grinding--she gets the job done despite all that. Reminds me of the stubbornness in my own head. Her shoes are also special. The left shoe was the shell of the aforementioned doomed and somewhat expensive hub, and both are aluminum. Steel cannot be welded to aluminum, so I had to do some very tricky welding to incorporate these unusual pieces. The inner sleeves are steel so I could make some rudimentary connections there, then encase them with surrounding and reinforcing supports. When I look at Phoebe, I see a complex set of emotions, which have a range based on how she is viewed: a pedestal gives her power and poise, while the floor gives her interaction with the room -- as if she's been exploring on her own. I never weld a base to any of my robots for this very reason: while it can be tempting for structural reasons, my robots need to stand on this own two (or more) feet.   44 lbs. 1 oz. 32 x 18 x 14”]]> Eris j259 https://skunkadelia.com/works/eris/ Fri, 21 Aug 2015 15:30:06 +0000 http://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=3569 Fearless Girl, part curious wanderer, Eris is a Jupiter-Class Astrobot that possesses a synergy that is achieved with just the right collection of parts joined in just the right way. Her emotions are complex and subtle, and can change depending on the light, the viewer's angle, and even her position relative to other objects. Her pose hints to another presence as she seems to be fixated upon something, perhaps far away on the horizon. Eris is a collection of rare objects accumulated over the years. The enormous taps that make her skirt is a particularly rare set of elements to come across: they were donated from the Tufts Physics Lab. Tufts also donated the amazing pieces of steel that make up three of her four appendages. The two mill gears that comprise her feet were gifted by a fellow artist. Eris is brush coated in several layers of Permalac clear lacquer, and can survive outdoors year round in New England. I am available for touch-up maintenance if needed. She has eighteen-inch long hooked rods to hold her in place. If you are in the Boston Area, I can deliver and install.]]> Hathor j114 https://skunkadelia.com/works/hathor/ Mon, 12 Aug 2013 13:01:33 +0000 http://www.skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=2106 The sun god Ra was losing the attention of the populous, and decided one day to do something about it by giving Hathor omnipotence for ten days. She was to reign terror on the planet, no holds-barred, to get some attention. Hathor began her work, killing lots of people. When she got a taste of human blood, she realized she loved it! This caused her to kill much more quickly than Ra had expected, and the population was rapidly depleting and was due to run out days before her tour. Ra became upset by this: what good is being a god without followers! When Ra becomes upset, the sun cooks the land. With all the blood and guts around, the heat made the stench unbearable to those still left alive. Ra had all the attention he wanted, but was powerless against Hathor's omnipotence. All he could do was advice the remaining population to sprinkle barley on the blood to absorb the smell. In the heat , the blood and barley fermented quickly. Hathor got a taste of this, and liked it even more than the blood! She quickly drank up all the fermented blood-wine, and wound up passing out. When she awoke with a god-sized hangover, her omnipotence had expired. She was built a temple which was filled with food and drink, for every time she needed rest on the way back to her home.  Hathor lived and toured with the artist for many many years before retiring to a private collection, and is a very well known celebrity.

Awards

  • Best in Show, Arisia 2009
  • Art Show Staff Choice, Arisia, 2009
  • Best in Show, Arisia 2011
43" tall. 90 lbs.]]> Isis j194 https://skunkadelia.com/works/isis/ Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:03:46 +0000 http://www.skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=1921 Lucky j122 https://skunkadelia.com/works/lucky/ Fri, 10 May 2013 22:07:18 +0000 http://www.skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=1739 Archer j200 https://skunkadelia.com/works/archer/ Fri, 04 May 2012 15:03:14 +0000 http://www.skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=1964 Ahab j121 https://skunkadelia.com/works/ahab/ Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:34:13 +0000 http://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=4432