These sculptures were made in the Framingham MakerSpace with an umbrella stand base; then metal pipes were shaped and welded on the base. The scopes are attached to the BX cable with an air release valve. The BX cable slides along the pipes so that the scopes can be adjustable in height for handicapped people and/or children. An office chair serves as the support for the “object case”, which is a circular snow sled. A variety of objects are placed in the “sled” which turns as the office chair is turned. We’ve used objects like Mardi Gras beads, toys, stuffed animals, masks, wallpaper, glittery paper, colored wire, scarves, hats, and Emoji plastic figurines.
Each scope is a teleidoscope made with a clear magnifying ball and each has a different mirror system with varying angles and number of mirrors. Since teleidoscopes make kaleidoscopic designs of everything it is pointed at, the images are highly varied and interesting. You can even take photos of your friends and family through the scopes and turn them into a kaleidoscopic images, too.
As of Jan 2020, we’ve had about 900 people look through them at art and garden shows throughout the Greater Boston area.
We eventually made four sculptures and took them to Art Week and Figment art shows in Boston. They were also at Framingham and Ashland Farmers’ Markets and at the Corner Spot in Ashland for the past several years. Now, two of the sculptures are on their way to the Sendai Kaleidoscope Art Museum in Japan! It is the world’s first and, so far, only kaleidoscope museum in the world! Gesa, her husband, Hilmar (who has done a fantastic job of organizing the shipping and supporting us), Brian and Brenda traveled to Sendai in May 2023 to reassemble them at the museum. It is quite an honor to be accepted at this museum and we are very excited to be a part of it.
Childrens’ Area of the Sendai Kaleidoscope Art Museum in Sendai, Japan.