Nice Surprise

I just found these videos on YouTube! It's the bike I built! After I finished transplanting the Yanmar diesel engine into the Kawasaki motorcycle, I never used it. I don't have a motorcycle license, didn't want to insure another vehicle, or even deal with what the DMV might say about my chopped-up creation. So I put the bike on Craigslist... and these guys got it (http://www.wingnutcycles.com/), check out the videos they put up! I don't think it could have gone to a better home.


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Trashiness



Greenpoint Lodge in Greenpoint, Brooklyn hired me to create a custom trash enclosure. Their three trash bins had been on the loose, distracting from an otherwise smart looking facade. I took this as an opportunity to not only hide the bins, but add to the aesthetic of the yard. The trash enclosure is made primarily of angle-iron steel for the frame and white oak and birch branches to fill in the panels (If you live in the area you might be wondering who pruned your local trees...)


The top opens up for filling the bins and then the front opens out to pull the bins to the curb. I struggled with the design to keep its functionality, but also to maintain a consistent one inch border around each facade. Leaving a gap on the front face was a last minute decision to facilitate quickly disposing of small objects. The swinging doors shown in the sketch got nixed to make it less appealing for pedestrians to use the bins. Also, the final placement was changed to display the unit at a better angle, free up more space in the yard, and move it further away from the sidewalk.

Patrick Dougherty's sculpture clearly influenced the design. I would not have realized the potential that sticks could play in my work without learning how he uses them in his. Weaving organic material into the hard metal frame I was able to soften the harsh nature of the industrialized world.



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