Behold the Balinese Cuckoo Clock, an interactive robot inspired by the eagle god Garuda. This art wonderbox is part of the 'Pataphysical Slot Machine, our poetic oracle. It will be on display throughout October 2015 at the Mill Valley Library. If you're in the Bay Area, come see it! Learn more at pataphysics.us
When you open the box, Balinese gamelan music plays as Garuda slides out of his temple, then a cuckoo clock chimes while he flaps his wings. He then shakes his head and sings ‘Om Swasti Astu’ (“God bless you” in Balinese). After a while, he returns to his temple, and the doors close behind him.
The Balinese Cuckoo Clock was designed and engineered by Fabrice Florin, in collaboration with his Balinese friend Ida Bagus Anom Suryawan -- who created the Garuda character and his temple, as well as the character’s voice. The art is hand-carved from mahogany wood and painted with acrylics. The music is “gender wayang” used in shadow puppet theater, from “Bali: Music from the Morning of the World.” This artwork is controlled by an Arduino Uno. Six different servo motors control the motion in this scene, while seven LEDs light up the eyes, wings and temple, in a carefully choreographed sequence. Donald Day guided the technology development. Learn more in our wonderbox specification: http://bit.ly/wonderbox-spec .
This interactive artwork took over a year to build, and I am grateful for all that I have learned and for the friendships I have formed in the process. That’s what makes this art maker project so interesting to me: it has become a peer learning network that empowers each of us and brings us closer to each other.
The Balinese Cuckoo Clock will be on display throughout October 2015 at the Mill Valley Library, as part of the 'Pataphysical Slot Machine exhibit. If you're in the Bay Area, come see it! Learn more at pataphysics.us -- and visit IB Anom's site at balimaskmaking.com
