You’ve probably seen pictures of the fire-spewing octopus El Pulpo Mecanico created by Duane Flatmo and friends Steve Gellman and Jerry Kunkel for Burning Man. It was featured in a recent spread in no less than Time Magazine. The gigantic kinetic sculpture was built in a local warehouse, but it’s never been fully assembled and […]
Kinetics
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Know Your 2012 Kinetic Sculptures! Photos! Video! Award Winners!
Here it is, Humboldt. Your complete visual wrap to 2012’s Kinetic Grand Championship participants! What a time we had. Kongratulations go out to Melvin for earning the title 2012 Kinetic Grand Champion. Scroll to the way bottom for a komplete list of award winners, as well as some video. See y’all next year. (Click photos […]
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Kinetic Coup?
In what seems to be a stunning, unprecedented coup d’état, 2007 Rutabaga Queen Emma Breacain, who also serves as Treasurer on the board of directors for Kinetic Universe, will now serve as “this year’s Rutabaga Queen,” according to a report in this morning’s Times-Standard. This last minute shift in the Kinetic power structure comes just […]
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Bringin’ da Heat! Your 2012 Rutabaga Queen: Sohotshe Burns!
Gloriously defying conventional wisdom, Sohotshe Burns (known on earth as Wendy Burns) was crowned the 2012 Rutabaga Queen before a raucous crowd at Arcata’s Portuguese Hall on Saturday Night. In the end, the much hyped, “Year of the ‘Picker” was not to be. Next year, Johnny. Next year. Queen Sohotshe will go on to be […]
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Popular Mechanics gets Kinetic
Popular Mechanics, the magazine for wrench-wielding nerds, features a story this week on our very own mega-exaltation of artsy mechanical nerdity: the Kinetic sculpture race (in case you needed telling). And, somewhat self-consciously and perhaps in need of explaining his attention to this costumed, joyous absurdity, author James Vlahos asks: “Why would people spend hundreds […]
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Kinetic Museum Problem Resolved?
At its heart the press release sent out last week by the Kinetic Universe was a plea for help. “CALLING ALL ANGELS AND ECCENTRIC MILLIONAIRES: SAVE THE KINETIC MUSEUM!” it shouted in its all caps title. The problem laid out by Kinetic Universe President Kati Texas seemed dire: “Despite every effort of fiscal and human […]
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Kinetic Klash Kontinues
Memorial Day weekend may have come and gone, and with it our world famous Kinetic Race, but the Kinetic kontroversy that surfaced before and during the race just took another major turn. As you may recall, a couple of weeks before race day, Justin Hobart Brown, son of the late “Glorious Founder” Hobart Brown, announced […]
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Game of Kinetic Chicken (updated)
Humboldt County’s annual Memorial Day event, known by locals as the Kinetic Sculpture Race, has been fraught with problems over the years, mostly revolving around the fact that the race itself has never had any built-in monetization. When he was alive “Glorious Founder” Hobart Brown spent a lot of time fundraising and ended up in […]