"The Infernal Device" in Grand Rapids
I drove for about an hour to the Gerald R. Ford Museum, to see this mysterious instrument. After looking at a number of beautiful pieces of art, including multicolored glass hands on steel rods, a towering image of shiny, 3D triangles, an inner struggle between man and himself, imaged by a white wrestler and a large hand, and a bronze, well-muscled archer, I saw it. I could only see the top; canvas blades, surrounded by glass that overlapped each other without touching. This was atop a four pillared gazebo. Inside the gazebo, was a six sided drum with beautiful steampunk paintings. The paintings included an airship, a futuristic clock tower, and an apocalyptic scene; just to name some. Both the fan and some solar panels powered the the drum to revolve at a constant pace.
I must have spent at least an hour just staring at it. It was strangely hypnotic, just watching the fan, the drum, and the images on it. I spoke to one of the people who had worked on it. That's one nice thing about steampunk, you can't miss the people that are apart of it. She wore a beautiful dress, patterned with bronze and black colored checkers. Apparently, she made the canvas blades and the the glass around them. It was a lot of fun to talk to her.
I must have spent at least an hour just staring at it. It was strangely hypnotic, just watching the fan, the drum, and the images on it. I spoke to one of the people who had worked on it. That's one nice thing about steampunk, you can't miss the people that are apart of it. She wore a beautiful dress, patterned with bronze and black colored checkers. Apparently, she made the canvas blades and the the glass around them. It was a lot of fun to talk to her.