BEAST: locomotion

Video: Gregory Beck Rubin, Music: Steve Reich's America Before the War

Notes from the latest test of the Beast:

Lighting: Projected fluorescent lighting from below the copper tubes helps to illuminate the steam. One interesting effect is how light registers the velocity of the steam as it exists the tubes. I would now like to cut more holes into the tube and see how multiple openings alter the shape and velocity of the steam. How far will the steam project? What kind of interaction can I develop by lighting the steam as objects move through its space?

Heat: The copper tubes heat up substantially once the steam starts pumping. However, you can pass your hand through the steam without burning your skin. Its a nice effect to feel the pressure of the steam, or feel the tiny droplets of moisture accumulate on the surface of your body.





Insulation and Assembly: I have decided not to insulate the tubes. This will also make it easier for me to add and subtract other tubes, paths or openings to the existing branches by simple plumbing techniques.


Projections, Dimensions: I have gathered some dimensions below to give some clues as to the space the machine might occupy in the Blackbox. One of the two copper tubes reaches over ten feet away from the boiler. From its tip, the steam projects about one foot. Contrasting this, the shorter of the two tubes, five feet, projects steam further from its own end, about one-and-a-half feet. Is there an inverse relationship between distance of tube and distance of steam projection inherent in the machine's design? How might I begin to play with the relationship between these two figures?