Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race 2022
In May of 2022, my team and I successfully completed the American Visionary Art Museum’s Annual Kinetic Sculpture Race by biking our all-terrain human-powered sculpture through the 15-mile course, floating it in the Baltimore Harbor, and traversing mud and sand pits.
The theme for the year was ‘Time Warp’ and after brainstorming sessions, we ended up with an amalgamation idea where a dinosaur traveling through a portal from the Jurassic Age to ours discovers the joys of ‘old people candy’ and decides to stay despite the new fossilized form it finds itself in.
Check out more photos and information on the Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race website.
Electroplated Infinity Mirror Hairstick
For this project, I initially wanted to create a hairstick with a custom printed circuit board on the top. However, after a few cardboard mock-ups of what that might look like, I decided that an infinity mirror would have a more sleek and polished look while still having a cool light effect.
I designed the disk using the cloud-based CAD software, OnShape, to house the LEDs and then 3D printed it. Paining the 3D print with conductive paint and using metal knitting needles as the sticks, I then electroplated the whole thing with copper to provide the rustic finish to the design.
My write up of the project won First Prize in the February, 2021 Instructables Jewelry Contest.
Rocky Horror Picture Show Columbia Costume
For Halloween 2022, some friends and I dressed up to see Rocky Horror Picture Show. I created a costume for the event from clothes I already owned, thrift store alterations, and some hair dye.
Creating costumes from items either already in my closet or acquired in a thrift store is the kind of challenge I really like embracing. The constraints of the materials available in a bargain bin provide a great framework to work within. The moment when the costume comes together in a gratifying and exciting moment that I relish every time.
LED Envelope
I have always had the rule for myself that I will not send a blank, white, boring envelope. For many years I frequently wrote and sent letters to various friends.
For this project I wanted to create a flashy envelope to showcase my soldering skills and circuit design abilities. I want to iterate on the design to create a more polished look for future envelopes.
Recycle Warrior Plastic Chain Mail
For Halloween in 2008 my mom and I made a ‘Recycle Warrior’ Halloween costume. The result of years of saving plastic milk jug caps and a few days of work, was a plastic chain mail tabard and additional costume pieces.
In October 2021 Instructables.com had a plastic contest accepting entries of all kinds involving plastics. I recreated the process of making this costume and wrote a tutorial. My entry received the Runner Up Award and was featured by the website.
Medusa the Riveter
I originally got the idea of a Rosie the Riveter and Medusa mash-up when I found myself reading a Medusa story told from her perspective instead of from Perseus’. I realized that many interpretations of her story depict her powers as a means of protection and empowerment from evil men.
I wanted to take the design I had drawn by hand and put it on the back of a jean jacket, however I didn’t want to rely on my ability to hand draw it. So, I made a few stencils which took most of the guess-work out of the drawing to make sure I had a clean final image. I wrote up an Instructable about my process where I detail my methods.
Since making my jacket, I have redrawn the design in digital format using the open-source drawing program Krita and have posted the design on the website Redbubble where stickers, shirts, and much more can be purchased with my design on it.
Where the Wild Things Are: Max Hat
As a kid I really liked Marurice Sendak’s classic “Where the Wild Things Are” and a few years ago, my mom and I made a very warm sewn ‘Max Hat’. I have now made a few different version of the hat inspired by the book. Check out my Second Prize Winning Instructable I wrote in January, 2021 about my the design, combining knitting and crochet!
Renaissance Fair Costume
When a friend expressed interest in attending a Renaissance Fair in Fall 2019, I knew we had to go in costume. Not wanting to spend a lot of money on a store bought costumes (in addition to wanting to make them myself for the fun of it) I headed to the nearest thrift store and bought a few skirts and dresses to cut up.
The best find was the $2 hat I found and after purchasing a feather from a craft store, I had a great hat for myself.
Mary Poppins and Bert Costume
For Halloween 2018, my friend and I created our own Mary Poppins and Bert costumes. We purchased white clothing, including skirts, dresses, a suit jacket and pants at a local thrift store and set to work creating our looks. The hats were both special challenges because they were designed from scratch specially for these outfits. The Bert hat is made from a cereal box and an old lamp shade while Mary’s hat is made from wire and leftover white fabric.
I have always loved re-purposing clothes into new and wonderful things and I pride myself on never having used a Halloween costume that came directly from a store or arrived fully assembled in a box.
Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race 2014
The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD has held a Kinetic Sculpture Race for over 20 years. These vehicles are described as “amphibious, human powered works of art custom built for the race.” They range in complexity of engineering and artistic design and are mostly based off of bicycle components.
In 2014, when I was in 10th grade, some friends and I worked on a school supported kinetic sculpture, Name Your Game, to enter into the race. It was poorly executed, from the design chosen to the materials used. We got about 3/10th of a mile down the road before catastrophically breaking down (the race route is 15 miles long). However, not to be defeated by a broken sculpture, we pulled off pieces of the design and walked them a few more miles before the judges told us to stop. For our efforts, we were awarded the Golden Dinosaur Award for most spectacular failure.
Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race 2016
In 2016, my high school’s kinetic sculpture team tried again to compete in the American Visionary Art Museum Kinetic Sculpture Race. This time, our entry was the Roman themed, Wasn’t Built in a Day. Having been burned on our last attempt by designing a sculpture that was far too heavy to be supported by bicycle wheels, we designed this sculpture to be lighter, smaller, and more easily fixable. Our efforts at cardboard mock-ups, sketches, and mechanical analysis, paid off as we were able to make it a whole 3 miles (10 times improvement over the 2014 race!) before our main axle sheared in half from vibration stress and we had to call it a day.
After I graduated, my high school’s team was able to complete the full 15 mile race and have done so in every race since.
Fundraiser Auction Bed Quilt
In 2012, I designed a quilt for a fundraising auction at Pinewoods Camp, where my family and I had attended yearly since I was 4 years old.
For many years, my mother had designed and created a quilt that would be quilted by the community to then be auctioned off to raise money for the camp.
The Winter’s Tale Set Design
The setting for the Fall 2019 Northeastern Shakespeare Society production of The Winter’s Tale was a climate change ravaged Boston where the remaining city inhabitants have retreated from the rising tides and scorching temperatures by living in abandoned MBTA subway stations. My vision for the set was to recreate Park Street and Forest Hills stations with a scene changed to switch between them.
