At one point last year, I had this vision of a kalimba made of 3- and 6-sided planes – an instrument that would be pleasing to the eye, but fit nicely in your hands to enhance the pleasure of plinking away in the sing-songy way of kalimbas. After prototyping it in cardboard, I translated the …
I worried when I started this final phase of our 2nd-floor gut-remodel that my lighting plan was going to look corny or fail structurally. Now that it’s installed, I like the way it turned out. When I designed the remodel, I figured that we would want recessed, dimmable lighting of some kind that comes on …
The trick with scrap-aluminum gongs is that you just can’t tune them. So I built this basic array by ear (back when I decommissioned XyloVan), choosing disc gongs that would resonate well together. This past month, I upgraded the whole thing to get it ready for visitors to Seacompression to bang on and enjoy. Weather …
I spent quite a few hours finishing this for Jack, the big, friendly genius/nice guy of a home builder who finished the last major step of our 2nd floor remodel this afternoon. I engraved two gongs that sound good together, mounted them on a chunk of the butcher block that I milled from scrap left …
Long, long ago, in a city far, far away (2010, Los Angeles), I made this crazy thing with the help of my loving and endlessly tolerant family. XyloVan – the only musical instrument I know of that got 8 miles a gallon downhill in a tailwind – played and ran for many years at Burning …
My first try using a laser cutter. These came out pretty much as-advertised, from templates I bought on Etsy. I’m taking these as a training round – and inspiration for working on my own designs.
Every fall, Seattle holds “Luminata” – a festival of lights with a parade around the Green Lake in lighted costumes. I built this from scrap plywood, found hardware, chicken wire, and added a light array in front, and wore it with a black robe. You could *just* see through the slit across the bridge of …
This was scratch-built from 3mm birch plywood, transparent red acrylic rod, patterned sheet plastic, and an assortment of hardware including metal strap and hog rings. I leaned hard on influences from the art deco age, where something warm and futuristic was always in the corner, lighting the room.
Once again, ladies and gentlemen: the brutality, the majesty, the stupidity of Gong Fights. (What???) This session was at Seacompression a few weeks ago. @findthecoretruth (parading the round numbers around the ring), our good friend Lara (in referee garb, judiciously scoring the fights and calling the winner of each round) and I (the robed announcer in …
I wanted to bring something fast, loud, and stupid to the playa this year. Something that was portable, easy to make and use, and memorable. (photo gallery below!) You know the sound a steel mixing bowl makes when you strike its edge? I love the round, BONGing resonance of it. So: Equipment: I built two …
The sound inside the kit is kind of glorious, but I think during a fight it will be hellaciously loud. Might need to hand out earplugs to the fighters. I’ll be working on arm protection next. And maybe some smaller noisemaking items.
It works. More to come.
You recommission them, that’s what. I had to leave XyloVan’s keyboards behind in storage when we moved from Los Angeles (no room in NYC). But I brought the disc gongs with me. I finally got around to rebuilding them into something a lot more compact and portable, and I took the opportunity to engrave them …
This mask was the largest one I could manage to cut out and make wearable from the tin ceiling tile, which was originally a 3-by-3-foot sheet of tin. It is definitely meant to be worn without sunglasses so that the wearer’s eyes are visible. I also fabbed a new mask, including magnets so that the …
I learned some things on the first mask. I’m still really pleased with the way it turned out, but this time around I primered the surfaces I intended to paint, and the paint went on a lot more smoothly and did not crawl and craze in the way that gave the first mask it’s beaten-to-hell …
I’ve started a new personal project about the pandemic, masks and fear. I’ve had these sheets of tin ceiling floating around the shop unused for years and found that the stuff lends itself to cutting, bending, painting and rivets, plus it’s sturdy and not too heavy to wear. (And yes, that’s a double-layered cloth mask …
XyloVan began its life nearly 10 years ago as an idea: Let’s build a mutant vehicle so our young kids can ride around even after bedtime and we can all enjoy Burning Man safely together after dark. The van’s full, rich and musical life ended last month – after so many adventures, mishaps and miracles …
You read that right: This day had to come. We’re moving, and the time has arrived for me to send XyloVan (1) on to its next incarnation. Underneath the instruments, (and the patina of wonderful music, noise and love that thousands of people have laid on them during its 9.5-year existence), lies a sturdy old …