Electrum (sculpture)

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Electrum
Electrum during testing at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard. Eric Orr sits within the electrode at top.
ArtistEric Orr and Greg Leyh
Year1998
Dimensions1150 cm (450 in)
OwnerAlan Gibbs

Electrum or Electrum (for Len Lye) (Len Lye being a New Zealand artist), is a 1998 sculpture by Eric Orr and Greg Leyh built around the world's largest Tesla coil.[1] The coil stands 11.5 meters (37 feet) in height, operates at power levels up to 130,000 watts, and produces 3 million volts on its spherical top terminal.[2] The sculpture is currently installed in a private area at Gibbs Farm in Kaukapakapa in New Zealand, a sculpture park art collection of businessman Alan Gibbs.[3][4][5][6] The top, spherical electrode of the sculpture is large enough to hold a human.[7] The piece was the subject of a 2000 documentary, "Electrum: Science as Art" and the 2011 documentary Lightning Dreams, by Alberta Chu.[8][9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Pescovitz, David (August 28, 2007). "Power Tripping". Make. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  2. ^ Weed, William Speed (January 2, 2004). "Tower of Power". Current Science. pp. 4–5.
  3. ^ Szulakowska, Urszula (2011). Alchemy in Contemporary Art. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 62–. ISBN 9780754667360. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  4. ^ Gurstelle, William (2009-02-04). Adventures from the Technology Underground: Catapults, Pulsejets, Rail Guns, Flamethrowers, Tesla Coils, Air Cannons, and the Garage Warriors Who Love Them. Crown Publishing Group. pp. 90–. ISBN 9780307510655. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  5. ^ Chirichelli, Andrea (2012-09-14). L’ATLANTE DELLE MERAVIGLIE - luoghi che forse non avete mai visto (in Italian). Narcissus.me. pp. 162–. ISBN 9788867551798. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  6. ^ Tarantola, Andrew (November 22, 2011). "High-Energy Guru Is Building the World's Biggest Tesla Coils". Gizmodo.
  7. ^ Seed, John (November 15, 2011). "Eric Orr and Elizabeth Orr: Crazy Wisdom". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  8. ^ International Documentary: The Newsletter of the International Documentary Association. International Documentary Association. 2001.
  9. ^ Gilsdorf, Ethan (November 6, 2012). "Electrifying! Tesla coil film brings powerful 'Lighting Dreams' to Museum of Science". Boston Globe. Retrieved 5 February 2015.

External links[edit]