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Would you wear and use a vintage pocket watch?

Showing posts with label metal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label metal. Show all posts

Friday, August 6, 2010

Dr. Evermor's Forevertron Steampunk Park -- Steampunk Before Steampunk Was Cool

Dr. Evermor's Forevertron in Wisconsin,USA, made by Tom Every
     Before naming the genre of steampunk was a glimmer in anyone's eye, an innovative self-described collector of junk saw the potential in the mechanical wonders that surrounded him, and in 1983 began construction on what is now one of the most impressive works of metal art in the USA.

"Dr. Evermor's Forevertron is the largest scrap metal sculpture in the world, standing 50 ft. (15,2 m.) high and 120 ft. (36,5 m.) wide, and weighing 300 tons. It is housed in Dr. Evermore's Art Park on Highway 12, in the town of Sumpter, in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States." -- WikiPedia entry on Forevertron

     There, one will find fantastic weapons, gazebos, telescopes, animals, vehicles, robots, insects, and even pieces that defy classification in this massive park of the neverwas.  Dioramas containing all of the above each  tell their part of a story....

More of the Forevertron
     The story begins with Dr. Evermor (a character created by Tom Every of Brooklyn, Wisconsin).  The good doctor hails from Victorian times, and has created the Forevertron to launch himself into the heavens on a magnetic force beam to escape this world... after he has been reduced to the proper size to fit inside the glass ball in a copper egg of the Forevertron, of course.

     A huge orchestra of seventy metal birds, some up to 20 feet tall, made from brass bedposts, highway markers, and gasoline nozzles, have gathered to play some dramatic theme music to accompany the historic launch.

Forevertron peacock

The telescope provides a way for onlookers to view Dr. Evermor's ascent while Queen Victoria and Prince Albert take their afternoon tea in the nearby fancy tea house gazebo.

The Tea House
The Grand Telescope
















     Some of the over 1,000 tons of materials used to create this tribute to the industrial age include: x-ray machines, engines, entire vehicles, a river barge, and the decontamination module of an Apollo spacecraft.  All of the designs were completed from Every's brain; he used no blueprints or calculations to balance the often precariously positioned heavy objects.


     Entering "Evermor" or "Forevertron" on Flickr will fetch hundreds more photos of this marvelous park.  The decades that the artist spent collecting the materials for his vision certainly paid off in the variety and sheer size and detail of the works he was able to create.


The PBS Travelogue mentions how to find the park:


"The Forevertron is located behind Delaney’s Surplus, across the highway from the Badger Army Ammunition Factory on State Highway 12, seven miles south of Baraboo, Wisconsin and seven miles north of Prairie du Sac. It can be visited on Monday through Saturday from 9AM to 5PM and on Sunday from 12 to 5PM."




all photos from Zuzu.com and Flickr.com
   
As of 2011, there were plans to move all of the sculptures of the Forevertron to the now closed Badger Army Ammunition Plant and create a national monument.  The base will provide all the power needed to support both the Forvertron and an artistic community; The Evermor Foundation Historical Artistic Memorial Sculpture Park, also named The Timebinder.  Once completed, the park will look like an eye when viewed from Earth orbit.
 
This video shows the works of Tom Every, his wife Eleanor, and their son.  They have all created hundreds of metal sculptures, each one unique.  It also contains interviews with the artists, and shows the base to which they want to move the sculptures.




 

Friday, June 18, 2010

Joe Pogan's Nuts-n-Bolts Animals


Artist Joe Pogan creates whimsical animal sculptures using found metal objects.  In just one piece, one may find screws, spoons, shotgun shell brass, coins, nuts, scissors, and bolts!
Not technically (or vaguely?) steampunk, but I think the use of materials is rather clever.  Go to http://www.joepogan.com/ for more.

Photos from joepogan.com

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Heavy Metal Animals II

  (Sea Creature with Chain seaweed? and the ferocious steel dragon/T-rex)

     Upon my recent trip to the recycling center, I found several more metal creations destined for the scrap heap.   Most were "new", but I was glad to see that the steel dragon/dinosaur (above, right) still stood guard over the PETE plastics number 1 & 2 bins.  "No caps on bottles!  Rawr!!!"   I really like that sculpture; if any of these have the spirit of steampunk in them, it is that one.  (see Heavy Metal Animals I)   Even though I do not know what some of these creatures are this time, either, the use of materials shows creativity and a good bit of tenacity.

Without further ado, I give you Heavy Metal Animals II!

I hope to see more of these each time I take my recycling waaaaay downtown.  They make the trip even more worth it when they put a smile on my face.  May they do the same for you. =)

More info:  In January 2012, I identified several of these sculptures as having been in the Junque Yard Sculpture Contest, and found out some of their names.  The large dragon guy is named “Fenrir” by Jordan Walker, Zach Highnote, Greg Black, Leigh Ann Colley, Phylicia Corey & Robert Grissett from Georgia Southwestern State University, and won first place in the 8th annual contest.  The chain dog may be “Springer Spaniel” by Zoe Alexandra from Georgia Southwestern State University.  Please see my post with Heavy Metal Animals III to learn more, and to see photos of these sculptures when they were NEW and in a gallery.)

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Steampunk Critters For Sale on Etsy!


(clockwise, upper left to lower left)
Steampunk Horse bychrisanderson
Gold Moth Pendant chinookhugs
Fire Dragon riveng
Momma Spider desertsol


I was so happy at finding the metal animal sculptures at the recycling center, I looked on Etsy to see if there were any similar creatures for sale. Of course, there were plenty to be had; these are some of the more expensive items, but certainly some of the most interesting ones!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Heavy Metal Animals


When I took my bottles and cans to the household waste recycling center last week, I discovered a cache of metal animal sculptures. They are probably slated for destruction, so I wanted to get some pictures. The "fur" of the dog on the bottom left is made from chains, and the body of the one on the upper right is made from metal mesh. If I had a place to put it, I would totally make an offer on the dragon/dinosaur. As for the rest of the pieces, I am not sure what a couple of them are, but I am sure they are heavy. Talk about your up-cycled artwork....
(edit: as of January 2012, many of these pieces remain mostly intact at the recycling facility.  These pieces are from the Annual Junque Yard Sculpture Contest. Please see my post Heavy Metal Animals III to learn more about them.)

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