"Everything has kinetic potential"
February 28, 2021 6:11 AM   Subscribe

Tights! Spatulas! Action! The madcap world of chain reaction videos (The Guardian) - a very enjoyable showcase of the work of three full-time chain-reaction artists, featuring Joseph Herscher (previously), Steve Price (previously) and Lily Hevesh (previously).
posted by bitteschoen (7 comments total) 20 users marked this as a favorite
 
Great stuff. So, these are no longer called Rube Goldberg machines? Gosh I feel old.
posted by kinnakeet at 6:34 AM on February 28, 2021 [10 favorites]


I kept waiting for the Pythagoras Switch theme music.
posted by Foosnark at 7:19 AM on February 28, 2021 [2 favorites]


I would be curious to see a timelapse of how much time is spent getting any of those ready for action...

Chain reactions are so fun. on the FAT (Friday after Thanksgiving) for over 20 years, the kinetic sculptor Arthur Ganson hosted a huge chain reaction event at MIT in the gymnasium. Individuals and teams would bring in sections and tie them all together.. definitely a fun time but also so so so much fiddling and nudging along to get things working... https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/fat

And don't forget the dark warehouse art classic Der lauf der ding . That's a short snippet of the whole thing which is longer and does has some sneaky cuts/fades in it but so much fun in a much darker/messier way.
posted by danjo at 7:30 AM on February 28, 2021 [3 favorites]


Featured in the article are the truly delightful Pass The Salt, but also the fiendishly clever Pass The Pepper. I recommend both of these highly.
posted by hippybear at 8:10 AM on February 28, 2021 [3 favorites]


There are Rube Goldberg machines, kinnakeet, forever.
posted by doctornemo at 8:49 AM on February 28, 2021 [3 favorites]


The table falling bit in "Pass the Pepper" is pure astonishing delight. These are great, thanks for the post.
posted by SoberHighland at 11:41 AM on February 28, 2021 [1 favorite]


The knives wielded by a spinning chandelier in The Hair Cutter are actually plastic. In The Cake Server (which co-opts a baby, smashes a laptop and is a good place to start), a hidden mirror stops him being decapitated by a wooden cartwheel and tiny bells are attached to the flying flowerpots.
By way of contrast, Colin Furze makes no such concessions to mere safety.
posted by flabdablet at 3:07 PM on February 28, 2021 [1 favorite]


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