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Camelback Commons Atrium Artwork Installed

New Art for Texas A&M University

Jul 15, 2019

New Art for Texas A&M University

We recently began a new public art commission for Texas A&M International University in College Station, Texas. This larger-than-life project is designed to bring the university’s logo to life. The sculpture will consist of a 15’ diameter sphere composed of an intricate triangular frame made from brushed stainless steel with hammer-formed metal continents attached to it. The empty areas of the frame will be fitted with perforated stainless steel panels when mixed with the pow

Shimmering Sea Installs in Tempe, AZ

Jun 14, 2019

Shimmering Sea Installs in Tempe, AZ

The first stage of assembly and installation for Shimmering Sea is underway! This installation is going to be on a pedestrian bridge at The Watermark in Tempe, Arizona. The piece consists of hundreds of polished stainless steel discs that will gently move with the breeze, creating an ever-changing canvas of reflection of the spaces’ surroundings. Here are some behind the scenes photos of our team painstakingly adhering hundreds of these polished discs to the railings of the b

Camelback Commons Artwork Ships to Phoenix

Apr 20, 2019

Camelback Commons Artwork Ships to Phoenix

Artwork for Camelback Commons has made its way to Phoenix, AZ for installation. This sculpture is a massive suspended stainless steel mobile that will hang in the open air atrium section of the building and gently rotate with the wind. Check out behind the scenes photos below of our team loading this massive sculpture onto not one, but two trucks! Check out past blog posts about the making of this artwork: New Art for Phoenix, Fabrication for Camelback Commons, Hanging Demo a

Camelback Commons Atrium Art Fabrication Update

Apr 5, 2019

Camelback Commons Atrium Art Fabrication Update

We recently had Camelback Commons’ upcoming atrium artwork painted in bright shades of blue, green and yellow. The paint job turned out great and we can’t wait to get this beauty installed in Phoenix, Arizona. Look back at past blog entries about the making of this monumental suspended sculpture: New Art for Camelback Commons, Camelback Commons Fabrication Update, Camelback Commons Hanging Demo. #joeoconnell #kineticsculpture #StainlessSteel #placemaking #kineticart #Fabricat

Creative Machines Featured on AZ Weekend!

Mar 26, 2019

Creative Machines Featured on AZ Weekend!

We have been featured by KOLD News 13‘s Arizona Weekend blog! Thanks so much for coming down to shop and learning about what we do and sharing our story with the community and beyond. Here is the video they made after visiting our workshop in south Tucson and talking with Creative Machines Founder, President, and Artistic Director Joe O’Connell. ⭐️ See the full article here → This inventive Tucson business is an engineer’s paradise #joeoconnell #community #kineticsculpture #f

“All Systems Go!” Fabrication Continues

Mar 25, 2019

“All Systems Go!” Fabrication Continues

Over the last few weeks, All Systems Go has been taken apart, powder coated in an array of bright colors, and put back together again with all its finishing touches. After the machine was reassembled we began the testing phase where the machine runs for 1,000 hours prior to leaving our shop. This process allows us to notice any kinks that may arise and gives us an opportunity to fix any technical issues that may occur before we deliver the sculpture to our client. This ball m

New Art for Tempe, AZ

Mar 4, 2019

New Art for Tempe, AZ

Over the last several months we have been prototyping and testing materials for a new piece of public art titled Shimmering Sea for The Watermark, an upscale residential, shopping and business center located in Tempe, Arizona. Shimmering Sea is a wind-activated kinetic sculpture composed of an array of polished stainless steel discs. Each of these discs is suspended from just above its center of mass so that it will move with the wind. Arranged in this faceted array, the poli

Science North Exhibits Shipped and Installed

Feb 12, 2019

Science North Exhibits Shipped and Installed

Last week, our Science North exhibits were packed up, shipped and installed into the well-known Science Center in Ontario, Canada. We can’t wait for the space to be ready for visitors to engage with our exhibits! Creative Machines was there every step of the way with three members of our team going along for the install to make certain everything was put into place correctly. Check out some behind the scenes photos of the shipping and installation process below. Check out pas

Science North Fabrication Continues

Feb 1, 2019

Science North Fabrication Continues

Fabrication is almost 100% complete for the four exciting new exhibits we have going into Science North in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada! Here are a few more images of the finishing touches going in place for Building with Light, Lissajous, Linkages and Pulleys, and Overhead Fans. Stay tuned for more behind the scenes photos from our team during the installation! Check out past blog posts on Science North: Visit From Science North, Science North Fabrication Part 1. #joeoconnell #s

Hanging Demo for Camelback Commons Art

Jan 31, 2019

Hanging Demo for Camelback Commons Art

Over the past few months, we have been working on a new monumental placemaking sculpture for Camelback Commons in Phoenix, Arizona. The sculpture will suspend within the atrium of a beautiful office building in the financial center of Phoenix, Arizona – our neighbor to the north! We held a hanging demonstration in our shop to see the 30ft tall, 1,100lb sculpture in action. Here are some photos and video footage of the demonstration! Look back at past blog posts about Camelbac

Growing Home Featured in Modern Luxury San Diego

Jan 25, 2019

Growing Home Featured in Modern Luxury San Diego

Growing Home was recently featured in Modern Luxury San Diego. We are so proud of this piece and can already see it begin to make a lasting impression on the surrounding community. “I wish to express how impressed I am with your work, “Growing home!” You are indeed the special artist and craftsman we wanted to make Park/12 a unique setting for residents and public alike.” – Jerry Brand, Senior Managing Director, Greystar Check out the digital version of Modern Luxury San Dieg

Wet Wheel Coming to Tucson, AZ

Jan 21, 2019

Wet Wheel Coming to Tucson, AZ

The City of Tucson (where we are based) has commissioned a piece titled Wet Wheel, a 20-foot wide and 14-ft tall bike wheel which will straddle a portion of a mixed-use biking/pedestrian path like a gateway. The spokes would be absent except when a cyclist rides through the center, water jets appear in the place of spokes and give the rider an approximately one-second spray of water— a much needed and refreshing way to cool off in the intense, Arizona sun! Wet Wheel will stra

Year in Review — A Look Back at 2018

Dec 31, 2018

Year in Review — A Look Back at 2018

2018 has been a great year for Creative Machines! We have installed our public art pieces in extraordinary cities around the country, begun sculpture and exhibit projects for awesome new clients from all over, and have strived to create fresh pieces that push the boundaries of what we have done in the past. Here are some photographic highlights from our projects that dominated 2018! PUBLIC ART Camaraderie is a series of three monumental sculptures nestled outside a veteran’s

Community Engagement at Creative Machines

Dec 20, 2018

Community Engagement at Creative Machines

Many of our projects involve extensive community engagement that goes beyond discussions and surveys. We recognize that people think with their hands as well as their minds and that when communities come together to help plan projects they experience a sense of camaraderie and investment in the final product. We also learn valuable lessons that we couldn’t otherwise. We have developed a kit of parts and a process for working with groups of all ages and helping people express

Growing Home Ships to Park 12 in San Diego

Dec 11, 2018

Growing Home Ships to Park 12 in San Diego

Last Friday Growing Home was packed up and loaded onto the truck and headed towards San Diego, California! This week we have a great team of installers working to get the piece put into place. Stay tuned for more on the installation and to see the finished sculpture in its completed form! Want to see more on Growing Home? Check out our past blog posts: Fabrication Begins, Fabrication Update 2, Fabrication Update 3, Fabrication Update 4. #gallery-4 { margin: auto; }

Visit From Science North

Dec 4, 2018

Visit From Science North

We recently had the pleasure of hosting visitors from Science North, an interactive science museum in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada and one of the area’s biggest tourist attractions. We are in the middle of building several exhibits for the center: Lissajous, Building with Light, Overhead Fans and Linkages & Pulleys. Here’s a little bit of information about the exhibits you see in the following images! Building with Light is a classic Creative Machines exhibit. In Buildin

Fall Field Trip to Creative Machines!

Nov 26, 2018

Fall Field Trip to Creative Machines!

We had some great kids visit the shop last week from Vail School District! Here are some photos from their trip to Creative Machines. They got to play with Lissajous, Building with Light, Watercolor Wall, Ball Machines and a Tennis Ball Launcher! #gallery-7 { margin: auto; } #gallery-7 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-7 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-7 .gallery-c

Our Portable Filter Presses in Nepal!

Nov 21, 2018

Our Portable Filter Presses in Nepal!

Our friends at Ceramic Water Filter Solutions have set up a new point-of-use water filter factory in Nepal using the latest batch of our Portable Filter Presses. We’ve recently improved our design thanks to feedback from Michael Stubna and some simulations by our intern Rishabh Parmar. The portable filter press is a product we make available to NGOs like Potters for Peace and Ceramic Water Filter Solutions. Our press is easy to bring into foreign countries because it breaks d

River Alive! Exhibits Ship to Philadelphia

Oct 15, 2018

River Alive! Exhibits Ship to Philadelphia

We just finished shipping out a set of new exhibits to The Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia! These exhibits will complete the museum’s new River Alive! experience, a new 4,000-square-foot exhibition opening Thanksgiving Weekend. It will focus on the wonders and challenges of the Delaware River watershed, our place within that system, and the increasingly sophisticated science we use to understand the watershed’s complexity. Check out past posts for more on the fabr

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