Carousel
A written and sculptural project which portrays an operating animation carousel
Nathan Hemenway · 1991–1992 · archived
## 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
Films
Pictures 5
Details
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
Features: breath / sound, automaton / motion, sculpture, light, kinetic, projected
Shown
- 1991 · Carousel at Mobius
- 1992 · Carousel at First Night Boston
How it was made
- 1991-05 · thesis — Thesis Carousel submitted at MIT (CAVS), supervised by Otto Piene.
- installed · installed — Shown at Mobius, Boston, 1991 (exact dates unknown).
- installed · performed — Shown at First Night, Boston, 1992 (exact dates unknown).
- archived · archived — Retired; documented in the thesis and the legacy site (video: firstnight.flv, carousel.flv).