Interactive kinetic sculpture takes real photographs of time travelers in past, present, future, and literary locations
The opportunity to design and construct a Steampunk photo “phone” booth from repurposed, historic objects came about unexpectedly when working on a residential home décor project for New York Times Best-Selling Author Cassandra Clare, known for her hit series The Mortal Instruments, as well as Clockwork Angel and other works of young adult fiction.
While remodeling the author’s writing studio into a whimsical creative work and play space themed with objects and references from her own novels, Bruce Rosenbaum met a salvage dealer selling a vintage British phone booth.
This artifact fit right in step with the rest of ModVic’s Apothecary Bar and various Steampunk repurposed contraptions – a collection of old pharmacy instruments, glassware, sculpture, appliances, lighting and oddities that would make the writer feel at home among her creations.
“When we first saw the phone booth it was in rough shape,” said Rosenbaum. “We had to sand blast the exterior and match as closely as possible the original “red” paint, to make it look authentic.”
“We had to replace the glass, and on one side of the phone booth, the team created a ‘green screen’ background by painting the glass, so the background in the photos could be controlled and switched depending on the user’s selection,” Rosenbaum added .
Two key elements added to the booth were control mechanisms from a paper mill in Pittsfield, MA and “wheels” that were once used to control the speed of an elevator.
Contained within the elevator hardware were three sets each of 18 copper tabs, which gave engineers the ability to infuse and control modern day electronics to digitally display and switch the photographic background. All total, the time machine user has 54 options of snapshot destinations – past, present and future.
Once the location is selected, the traveler presses “Go” and a countdown commences for the photo moment.
The ModVic team also built the electronic infrastructure with a proximity sensor that activates when there is motion nearby – coming to life with lights and sounds to catch a potential time traveler’s attention.
Rosenbaum said electronic features can really help customize an interactive display and would be perfect for use in public spaces like hotel lobbies, museum attractions, and more.
When referring to the entire studio space which includes the Cline Time Machine, the author said it was the office she always dreamed of when she was writing her first books in a tiny “closet” in Brooklyn, NY.
“Every time people come in here they are amazed,” said Clare. “Bruce really helped to turn this into an inspirational work space.”
ModVic team members included: Todd Cahill, Mark Peltier, Mark Dobrosielski and Chris Tucker. To view a short video featuring some of the project collaborators, click this Link to Amherst, MA Writer’s Studio
Check out a clip of this other famous time machine:
Exciting video about “Dr. Who – Tardis”