November 2009

All Four Hooves Leave the Ground is a large scale interactive sculpture that reconstructs the mechanical elements of an analog film projector. The viewer pedals a stationary bicycle to operate a spinning film shutter and drum, on which is displayed an animated sequence of a galloping horse and rider.

At this point, I am actually updating the project's progress as it is happening, as opposed to retroactively: the blog is only a week old, and the project has been on and off for three years. Finishing my MFA in Sculpture at Concordia slowed it down. The primary function of this page is to promote future exhibitions of the sculpture and document its evolution of inspiration, fabrication, and problem solving.

It's looking really sweet, and I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Phew.

Please click on any image to see it in greater detail.

Many steps throughout the process have not been documented, such as fabricating the 'forked transmission' (the aluminum platform with the perpendicularly mounted gear systems). Another important step not shown was running long aluminum strips through an electric metal bender to make the drum, and bolting the plexi to it.



Five chains have been installed in total. Two of them link the pedals to the Geneva Stop at the rear, passing through a flip-flop hub, also known as a double-sided hub. This may be of interest to bicycle enthusiasts; the hub can accept a fixed gear on one side and a freewheel gear on the other. I am using it to give myself more versatility in being able to adjust gear ratios. The Geneva Stop feeds intermittent power to the forked transmission, which in turn spins the drum and the shutter. Derailleurs have been installed on each chain to regulate tension. Diagonal steel strips have been bolted to the front of the drum support structure to increase stability, which is very necessary in a machine that breaks down into dozens of seperate pieces for storing and shipping purposes. Once I can achieve a consistent tension from one end to another, everything should spin smoothly and I can work on how images mounted on the drum will sync up with holes in the shutter. The 'viewing box' I have installed is still preliminary, and will undergo many modifications. This will include making it light-tight, and vertically adjustable to accommodate riders of different heights.