Jump to Navigation

Ephemera

Stonybrook Fine Arts- DIY space in Boston

Mon, 01/05/2009 - 16:17 — Meredith Scheff

I've been chillaxing for awhile now in Boston. It's very unusual that I stay in a place for more than 3 nights, and I've been here 3 weeks. The reason for my extended stay is Stonybrook Fine Arts, a bad-ass DIY space, classroom, metal shop. This is exactly the sort of place that I love- a place for anyone to come and learn skills, to get hands on, and get a little greasy. While I've spent my time sculpting and casting bronze memorials to my crashed car, they also offer classes in welding, mold making, jewelry, figure sculpting, and more. Basically, you can come here, learn how to use your hands and wield power tools, and, goshdarnit, make shit.

To top it off, they allow hourly rental of the shop for people who can't necessarily house a full metal and casting shop. Which is all of you.If you're in the Boston area, or know DIY-ers that are, I can't recommend the shop highly enough.

Articles:

Blanket Magazine

Tue, 12/30/2008 - 14:22 — Jake von Slatt

Blanket Magazine has a short piece of Steampunk on the web this month, but that is mainly just the excuse I used to post.  Blanket magazine is:

. . . is a free PDF online magazine that is aimed at uncovering art + design + photography from the talented people who create it.

The name blanket came from the simple idea that we wanted to ‘cover’ all the areas of art, design and photography and bring them together in one magazine.

I've only skimmed the rest of the content so far but the images and graphics are absolutely gorgeous!  Download the PDF by clicking on the image above.  (Found via Mechanis)

Articles:

Dead Simple Charging Station

Fri, 12/05/2008 - 12:59 — Jake von Slatt

simple phone charging stationHere's a dead simple cell phone charging station I installed next to our main entrance.  It's just a pair of hangers of the sort you'd use in the garage to store a shovel or a rake.  If your wall isn't made of barn-board like ours, you can screw the hangers into a block of wood and use regular drywall anchors to attach it.

 

[Bigger pics behind the cut]

Articles:

TechnOccult interview with Alex CF

Thu, 11/20/2008 - 15:06 — Jake von Slatt

AlexCFTechnOccult inteviews wunderkammer artist AlexCF:

I guess it all started with this little box, called “The Vampire Legacy Case” about a 14th century aristocratic vampire, the last rites and possessions of this vampiric lord. I had the idea of creating an alternative past, creating characters and species with which to fabricate my own world in which all these things existed. So I started making, and the rest is history!

Articles:

Clockwork Hand

Thu, 11/20/2008 - 14:18 — Meredith Scheff

The Clockwork Hand by deviantart user Astalo is lovely in it's craftsmanship. It is, however, a strange cross between cyborg upgrade and flirtatious torture device- wear it for super strength or make someone else wear it, turn the crank, forcibly making the 'come hither' motion , over and over and over. 'Who, me?'- I would say, blushing- 'I do declare, I thought you would never ask..but oh, Mr. Wingspatersonton, however will you dance, tied to that chair?'

I want it.

Articles:

Handsome font for you pica pushers

Wed, 11/19/2008 - 21:40 — Meredith Scheff

Typography can be (and usually is) tremendous amount of stress. I, for one, tear my hair out every time I see the currently ubiquitous Bleeding Cowboys; another friend has a dysfunctional relationship with Papyrus- over and over he vows it's over- only to be found trysting at midnight, kerning.

That being said, I find Vtks Revolt , by Douglas Vitkauskas,a rather handsome little font; if oddly named.

Articles:

Steampunk Keyboard from Germany

Tue, 11/11/2008 - 16:55 — Jake von Slatt

Kay writes:

I have often been inspired and impressed by your work. Here you can see one  of my lastest projects.  It's a original german steampunk keyboard. More pics you find at: www.flickr.com/photos/steamtux

There is nothing I like to hear more then that! and man-oh-man did he do a fine, fine job!  There are a couple more pics after the cut and more on Kay's Flickr including in process shots here!

Articles:

Wormbunnies!

Fri, 11/07/2008 - 09:37 — Jake von Slatt

This morning I was telling my daughter about the creatures called "Cattails" that Larry Niven invented for World out of Time. 

I remember enjoying that book a lot but more than anything the description of the genetically modified cat/snake hybrid stuck with me.  It had the head of a cat and a fur covered snake body with cat paw leather on its underside.  There's a picture of one on the cover of the book.

She then told me about a piece she saw at the Decordova Museum in Concord, MA by Ria Brodell that featured Wormbunnies.

Wormbunnies!

Well, I just had to track those Wormbunnies down for you and you will find them here!

Articles:

Dig my grave with a lacy shovel: The art of Cal Lane

Fri, 10/31/2008 - 19:12 — Meredith Scheff

Cal Lane is quite a lady. Oxy-acetalyne torch in hand, she intracately carves out lace-like patterns out of shovels, wheelbarows, cars, and most impresively- full sized I-beams. Just looking at her work, I wish i was able to experience it first hand- These formidable, unwieldy, solid hunks of steel transformed into objects that look as light as a feather. It's both industry and craft. She has quite a bit of work on her unfortunately flash-crippled site.

Articles:

Austin, Grackles, and the Junk King

Thu, 10/23/2008 - 15:45 — Meredith Scheff

I have been tootling around Austin for a couple days now, guided mainly by locals scribbling favored destination on scraps of paper. I've visited (and took a dip in) Austin's famed Barton Springs park ("dude" an old hippie told me "it's, like, Austin's spiritual center"), drank Shiner Bock at the Driskill Lounge while the jazz band played the Super Mario theme, astride a couch made of a cow; and I've been attacked by a flock of Grackles.

One thing that has been bothering me, however, has been the total prevalence of the "keep Austin weird!" bumper stickers I've seen gracing every bike, minivan, lunchbox- If you're from that area, it very much akin to the "keep Tahoe blue" stickers adhered to a million car bumpers. I've been having a great time, to be sure, but I was beginning to think that the slogan was more of a city aspiration than actual reality.

Then I met the Junk King, and his home made Cathedral.

Much more after the jump..

Articles:

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Ephemera