There are new buildings going up all over town!
New Construction
Author: Rachel Mello
Farewell
Today I bid a fond farewell to “She Works the Lines,” purchased out of my studio in a moment of love at first sight, by a collector who already owns another of my wire drawings. I get so sentimental about seeing my works find new homes. I’m glad to see it in the hands of someone so happy to have it.
Starting Something New
Last night in studio I finished a “proof of concept” test component for a new piece I’m working on. So far, I’m soldering copper wire and sewing paper to it, and I needed to confirm that I could solder the flat faces, sew the paper on, and then go back and solder more pieces to create the 3D form, without the burning the paper or thread in the last step. Success! Stay tuned for more shots at this stage, as I’ll be making several pieces before pulling them together into what I expect will the the final form.
Also! If you’re seeing this post on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, that means I’ve successfully figured out how to make Process posts to my new website and share them automatically. I did a full overhaul of rachelmello.com this spring, creating a new, cleaner site completely from scratch. I hope you’ll check it out!
A Dragon in Cambridge
MAL the dragon is back from Burning Man no worse for the wear. We did a test build in Cambridge this week, before packing her up to go to NECTR (North East Connecticut Regional burn).
MAL at Burning Man
Maximena Alice Lee went to Burning Man, thanks in part to a generous art grant from The Hive. If you got photos of her, please share!
Crated for Shipping
Here is our dragon, ready to be loaded on a Nevada-bound container tomorrow. Whereas for Figment Boston we could just wrap the pieces in blankets and pile the rest of the bits in a rental van, for her next journey she needs to be far more robustly packed. Five crates of plywood panels, 3 ALCs of pieces, parts, hardware, and tools, two frames, a training stand, one wheel, and a tube of drive-shafts and pipe segments. Next stop, Black Rock City!
Good night, my friend. Sleep well!
Presenting…
Presenting, Maximena Alice Lee, MAL, the finest interactive, mechanical dragon I have ever worked on! A collaborative piece, created by Lauren Audette, Kit Rebecca, and myself, with the generous help of many friends, she had her public debut Saturday at Figment Boston and is there one more day before we package her up and bring her to Burning Man. Come see her this afternoon, Sunday, 7/28 in Boston on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.
all packed up for Figment Boston
Arrrr! I’m a dragon!
Maximena Alice Lee first public appearance
Early in March I asked Kit Rebecca and Lauren Audette if they would be interested in collaborating with me to build a large, mechanical dragon. Equipped with a few books on automata, some YouTube videos on mechanical transmission, curiosity, hubris, and many friends who came through at every stage of the project, we have made the journey and arrived here, ready to share our creation!
Maximena Alice Lee – MAL – is making her first public appearance this weekend on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. For FIGMENT Boston 2019
I hope you’ll come see us!
