Monday, September 2, 2013

The Smell-O-Rama!



Another little cranking whatnot (see Cranking Whatnot Prototype for an earlier stab at playing with simple automata and basic how-to instructions). This time, however the little automata is highly functional. It's a hand-cranked Smell-O-Rama, wafting the herbal odor of your choice throughout your environment.

To operate the Smell-O-Rama, you first load the little canister on top of the automata with herbs of your choice (lavendar, thyme, basil, etc.). You then hand-crank the apparatus and the two moving arms wave back and forth through the herbs, releasing their fragrance.

Materials: recycled plastic deli container and recycled toothpick dispenser; wire; broken jewelry; broken autoglass; Chinese joss (good luck) paper.

Close-up of the cranking mechanism

Close-up of arm A

Close-up of arm B

And below is a little YouTube video showing the Smell-O-Rama in action, stocked with herbs (Thyme in this case). The link to the video is: http://youtu.be/xWzYagMrBq4

2 comments:

  1. I love this! I was a public school art teacher for many years. I often used Alexander Calder to introduce primary colors to 1st graders and would show them the film "Calder's Circus". This reminds me of his wonderful circus figures. Love how your brain works.... and your sense of humor.

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  2. Thanks - I too love Calder. To see some really beautiful automata work, try googling Paul Spooner. His work is amazing.

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