Toy Theaters started 2017 - Bird Maidens
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These transformation tales occurs across many cultures around the globe - versions come from many countries in Asia, the Middle East, and throughout Europe. When the body of work is complete it will be shown concurrently across King County, WA. The project will be a scavenger hunt through different neighborhoods, with each toy theater containing a scene from a different culture. There will be links to an online to a map of the whole project, as well as translations of the tale in each represented language and images of the whole piece.
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The first two prototypes and process shots are below, to see the first prototype, The Peacock Maiden, click here. The second prototype, The Ibis Maiden, click here.
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This body of work is currently on hold due to the pandemic and other projects, but i do hope to return to it and create all 10 toy theaters once I can secure funding.
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The 2nd prototype is - The tale of The Adventures of Hasan of Basrah, from The book of The Thousand Nights and One Night.
Daylight view
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Feb 2
Transparent and metallic cut vinyl, laser cut Plexiglas, Tyvek, acrylic rods, MDF, CNC routed Marine Plywood, set screw collars, aluminum, battery operated LED lights
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installed behind OMSI for Portland Winter Light Festival 2018
Scene and gear box installed
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January 31
Transparent and metallic cut vinyl, laser cut Plexiglas, Tyvek, acrylic rods, MDF, CNC routed Marine Plywood, set screw collars, aluminum, battery operated LED lights
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full scene
Detail of scene
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January 31
Transparent and metallic cut vinyl, laser cut Plexiglas, Tyvek, CNC routed marine plywood, acrylic tubing and rods, battery operated LED lights
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above view
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January 31
Transparent and metallic cut vinyl, laser cut Plexiglas, Tyvek, CNC routed marine plywood, acrylic tubing and rods, battery operated LED lights
Gear box with cams
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January 31
CNC routed marine plywood, screen printed plywood, aluminum, acrylic tubes and rods, set screw collars, battery operated LED lights
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scene from below
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January 31
Transparent and metallic cut vinyl, laser cut Plexiglas, Tyvek, CNC routed marine plywood, acrylic tubing and rods, battery operated LED lights
finished scene
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January 31
transparent and metallic cut vinyl, laser cut Plexiglas, acrylic tubing, Tyvek, MDF
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fabricated scene ready for install.
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Vinyl scenery
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January 21
transparent and metallic cut vinyl
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This part of the scene is designed for back-lighting, so the yellow and blues will glow when installed. This is currently masked for transport without scratching but it is on clear Plexiglas so when installed it will not have the white behind the shape.
Vinyl scenery
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January 22
transparent cut vinyl
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These vine trellises will be layered in space throughout the scene and are also on clear laser cut Plexiglas. (like the above image they are masked for transport)
Cams for the 2nd prototype
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January 19
Screen printed plywood
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These eccentric cams were CNC routed, treated and screen printed. the holes are offset in different directions to allow the Ibis puppets to rise and fall at different rates.
laser cut tests
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January 19
Laser cut Plexiglas
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These Ibises will cut of opaque white acrylic for the final theater, but they were made of clear to test hanging apparatus, scale, as well as figuring out what parts need to be thickened. Laser was chosen over CNC routing for the ability to have tight corners, intricate detail, and a flame polished edge.
gear box face plate
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January 11th
primed marine plywood
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CNC routing the face plate. There will be an acrylic window to see the cams and gears, allowing for access if repairs are needed, but keeping the public's fingers safe.
sketch of the scene
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January 14th
Vector file
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Assets created in Adobe Illustrator to translate into vinyl and laser cut files. The colors will shift - this is just to easily isolate sections to separate and process a clean file that can be layered and scaled to the appropriate output format. Some elements will be opaque, transparent, and metallic in the final format.
new gear box elements
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January 4th
CNC routed MDF, aluminum collars with set screws, acrylic tubes and rods
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The small gear is connected to the hand crank which feeds to the large gear. If people turn the crank really fast this will slow down the inertia in the scene to keep it from jamming up or damaging the piece. Aluminum collars can be locked down on the shafts much more precisely than the hand made triangular collars used in the 1st prototype (The Peacock Maiden seen below). Acrylic tubes will keep the rods from bending and moving out of alignment. All of these modifications are from direct observation of the first piece in public use.
The first theater prototype features a scene from the Chinese version of the tale, The Peacock Maiden.
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The 1st Prototype for this body of work premiered at Arts-A-Glow, the Burien Lantern festival in Dottie Harper park in conjunction with their 10 year anniversary, September 2017.
To see 2016 installation for Arts-A-Glow visit Vasilissa the Brave.
video and images from the install:
The Peacock Maiden, lit views
screen printed Plexiglas, cut Plexiglas, cut MDF, oak dowel, Tyvek, LED Light, screws
September 9, 2017 Arts-A-Glow Festival
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Layers of Plexiglas waves are controlled by a crank below and the peacock moves using antique toy cam and crank mechanics.
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The Peacock Maiden, daylight views
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cam shaft close up
cut MDF, oak dowel, screws
September 2017
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The back and front cranks lift the wave clusters. The round cams control the peacock and there are 3 gears along the right side to run the 3 shafts.
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in process components / sketches / by products of this work:
final prototype of the protective case
cut MDF, oak dowel, screws
September 2017
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Almost ready to go, just a few more cuts and its fully assembled.
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Video of the evolution of the crank mechanics
cut MDF, oak dowel, screws, Plexiglas
August - September 2017
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Different stages of the crank which lifts the waves. Special thanks to Rob Lutz for all his expertise and patience and the loan of the excellent book Cabaret Mechanical Movement by Aidan Lawrence Onn and Gary Alexander.
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3rd Toy Theater Maquette with cranks and cams
cut MDF, oak dowel, screws
August 2017
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Redesigned box with higher shafts and 3 gears. Cams now have lips to keep the dowel from sliding out of alignment. 2 shafts with cranks lift bars that will have slotted caps. These will lift 4 pieces of cut Plexiglas waves balanced between 2 parallel lifts.
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2nd Toy Theater Maquette
cut MDF, screen printed MDF, cut Plexiglas, dowel
July 2017
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These cam shapes were rejected due to steepness of the ovals and shapes that could only be turned in one direction, later eccentric wheels and cranks will be used instead. The shaft was later raised to shorten the travel distance between the lift dowels and the cams. The wire was eliminated by extending the straight leg into the base.
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1st Toy Theater Maquette
cut MDF, dowel
June 2017
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The first cuts of landscape elements and the interior with cam shaft. The waves will be tested for movements and heights. Eventually these will be cut from transparent colored Plexiglas.
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The exterior structure is designed so interchangeable elements can be swapped out for other tales in future iterations of the piece, or for replacement sections if damaged.
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Peacock Maiden puppet
3 color screen print on cut MDF
June 2017
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For testing of cams in first maquette.
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Peacock Maiden monoprint
one of a kind layered screen print
June 2017
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Made while proofing the MDF puppets.
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Peacock Maiden Puppet
cut MDF
May 2017
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This puppet for the maquette will be screen printed and tested. After the cut and mechanics are finalized the print will go on layers of CNC cut transparent Plexiglas.
Peacock Maiden
5 color screen print with clear gloss overlay as a watercolor resist.
back-lit shot.
April 2017
24" x 18"
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This print was created to design the puppet in the prototype toy theater.
Swan Maiden
original sketch
February 2017
This is the initial sketch of the interactive piece. Some aspects are still getting worked out like the moving scroll which will be tackled after the showing of the first prototype.
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