Carousel

A written and sculptural project which portrays an operating animation carousel

Nathan Hemenway · 1991–1992 · archived

[+breath +motion +sculpture +light +kinetic +projected]

Films

• Mobius — Boston, Massachusetts
• First Night — Boston, Massachusetts
• At the CAVS — Cambridge, Massachusetts
• A narration on the project
• Carousel
• Firstnight
• Mobius day
• Carousel narrated

The work

Six horses turn around a central column on a single belt-driven platform. A hexagonal pyramid of mirrors, one face per horse and angled 45° from the platform, turns with them; light from the column is thrown outward through the mirrors, and each flash carries the shadow of a horse onto the surrounding walls.

Presented as a performance event: live electronic music, keyboards, light and film projection, and kinetic sculpture.

The thesis

“From this finite set of syntax and terms an infinite set of propositions may be generated.” — Carousel, ch. 6

Read the thesis →

Particulars

Year

1991–1992

Status

archived

Form

Kinetic sculpture and performance

Drive

Single belt-driven pulley; variable-speed motor

Media

Metal and wire horses, mirror pyramid, lace canopy, fur and flowers; projected light and film; live electronic music

Context

MS thesis, MIT CAVS; supervised by Otto Piene

Thesis advisor

Otto Piene

Shown

1. 1991 Carousel at Mobius
2. 1992 Carousel at First Night Boston

Derivation

1. 1991-05 thesis — Thesis Carousel submitted at MIT (CAVS), supervised by Otto Piene.
2. installed installed — Shown at Mobius, Boston, 1991 (exact dates unknown).
3. installed performed — Shown at First Night, Boston, 1992 (exact dates unknown).
4. archived archived — Retired; documented in the thesis and the legacy site (video: firstnight.flv, carousel.flv).

Related

• The original page