A gigantic mechanical octopus. An animatronic cuttlefish on wheels. A nine-foot-tall robot head inspired by a beloved sci-fi movie. These were some of the highlights as Maker Faire Bay Area celebrated its 20th anniversary Sept. 25-27 at the Mare Island Shipyard in Vallejo, California.
Maker Faire was where I discovered steampunk back in 2011, and I’ve been to every Bay Area edition since. If you’re not familiar with the event, it’s a showcase for all kinds of creative do-it-yourself projects: robots, kinetic art, mutant vehicles, steam-powered gizmos, and lots more.
I was there on Friday and Sunday, taking photos, shooting video, and speaking with some of the makers. Each year, the event features a mix of old favorites and never-before-seen surprises, and this time was no exception.
The octopus, El Pulpo Magnifico, was a bit of both. Conceived by Humboldt County artist Duane Flatmo, it’s a new and improved version of El Pulpo Mecanico, a mobile kinetic sculpture first shown at Burning Man in 2011, and later taken to Maker Faire.
The new sculpture, which debuted at Burning Man in 2022, is lighter and more durable, Flatmo explained in the Burning Man Live podcast. Instead of the old rusty exterior, it features a silvery skin made from kitchenware and thrift store finds. It’s also taller by a few feet. This was its first Maker Faire appearance.
Fueled by 200 gallons of propane, the octopus can shoot flames 30 feet into the air. But here the pyrotechnics were limited to an after-hours party on Saturday evening.
During the day, it was still a magnificent sight, and attendees crowded around it to pose for photos and marvel at the weirdness.
This was the third Maker Faire appearance for The Cuttlefish, an inflatable sea creature measuring 36 feet long and 15 feet wide. It spent most of the weekend in the Dark Room, a space for illuminated artwork, but late on Saturday and Sunday it came out for the Mobile Maker Parade along the waterfront.
The robot head, made by Denver-area sculptor Chris Mora, was a complete surprise. He was inspired by The Iron Giant, the 1999 animated film by Brad Bird, to build a real-life version of the title character.
So far, he’s completed just the head, but eventually he wants to fabricate the full robot at 1:1 scale. It will be made entirely of steel, he said, 60 feet tall and weighing more than 25 tons. He told me he expects the project to take one to two years.
He might appear to be overly ambitious, but there was the head, sitting on a truck bed at Maker Faire. Mora transported it himself from Denver. You can imagine the attention he received while driving on the interstate.
In the old favorites category, Kinetic Steam Works, the Oakland-based art group, was back with Pappy, their 1917 steam tractor engine. Here, it was belted to a line shaft, which served as a power transmission system for a drill press, power hammer, and other equipment. This replicated a common approach used in factories prior to the advent of small electric motors. The group also brought a restored platen printing press from 1899.
Electric Séance
Another notable project was E.D.A.M. (Electrically Driven Aetheric Medium), a “modern and improved electrical séance table” purportedly invented in 1922 by Jordan Sinclair Everington. In truth, Everington is the creation of 21st century Portland artist Andy Batt, who was here last year with two other inventions, Obscura and Cellular Resonance No. 2.
To begin the séance, participants were told to whisper the deceased’s name into a “mortuaphone,” then select one of 12 engrams on a dial.
“Use your right hand to tune the three mortuaphonic faradic adjusters until the tones are resonant,” the instructions continued.
Then: “Place your left hand on the platen to your left. Press lightly… You have made galvanic contact.”
The display included a U.S. patent awarded to Everington (fake, of course) along with the following quote from the inventor: “The inherent problem of reaching into the parascientific realms lies chiefly within the errancy of humankind. To put it simply, people are fallible, greedy and prone to error. A vacuum tube shows no such unreliability.”
A New Foundry
One big change this year could be seen in The Foundry, a building used for presentations, exhibits, and maker spaces. It’s been a rather drab setting at past fairs, and barriers cut off the back half of the structure from public access.
But it had a new look this time. The barriers were gone, and that appeared to almost double the available space. Inflatable clouds, balloons, and rocket ships hung from the ceiling. A wooden ramp led to a colorful arch that welcomed attendees to the newly opened rear portion.
The Foundry’s occupants included Bay Area Droid Builders, the Bay Area Lego User Group, and Thorsson and Associates with props and costumes inspired by movies and TV. Near the entrance, Weller Tools offered instruction in how to solder, and Woolbuddy was there to teach the art of needle felting.
You can see these and other highlights in the gallery below.
