Geek Required - Inquire Within ;)

Silver Springs · #1 12-14-2011, 08:52 AM

I have a problem. I have an exhibition in January, in which I was required to plan an installation piece. The problem is, I have fallen in love with an idea that seems pretty damn difficult to pull off.

The idea:

9 Vinyl Record sized discs containing my work, set on old vinyl records and placed upon the wall. Behind the records a small mechanism which will allow these records to rotate as though they were actually playing. Besides which I shall be placing an old record player with music to listen to while watching the installation itself (Staunton Lick by Lemon Jelly, if you wanted to know

)

The problem:

I am a complete idiot when it comes to anything "technological". I did have the thought of those spinning mechanisms they have in the jewellery boxes with the dancing ballerinas, and finding nine of those to fit to my work. But even then I wouldn't have a clue how to actually pull this off. Each individual "record piece" needs to be independent of the next, and not have any kind of connecting wire visible or anything like that, as they are being displayed on a clean white wall.

I need help. Any advice as to how I could pull this off would be greatly appreciated.

Betsy · #2 12-14-2011, 02:52 PM

First of all, this sounds like a really cool idea and if you can pull it off, post a photo of the finished product.

Second, I babysit a kid who had a set of lego-like-toys which had motors. I think he called it an erector set (?) Maybe someone here knows what I am talking about. That kid is about 30something today....Anyhow, the kid built lots of independent projects with tiny motors.

**mylittledemon** · #3 12-14-2011, 04:02 PM

It sounds like a nightmare of engineering to some degree. I don't see how you could make the records "float" while spinning. In other words if you just had an LP up against a wall (not on a turntable) and turned upright, the weight of the LP would shift and it wouldn't stay "straight up and down"while it spins on whatever mechanism you've contrived... In other words you still need the "back" of the LP to rest against something (like the top of a turntable).

The real gitcher of the idea is how to make them turn. I cannot think of a way to do this other than having an electrician create a motor system of some kind. This would be easily concealed behind your "faux" dry wall... but it would likely require a motor for each LP to which to spin.

And the part I mentioned above... with the record itself not having anything to "rest" against to allow it to stand upright and spin... you'd have to come up with a way in which to "hold" the LP at the center to keep it in a fixed position.

I envision a large section of drywall with 9 holes cut out. The holes you cut in the drywall would be roughly the size of the LP label (in the center of the record). You could then use these sections of leftover drywall (the circles you've cut out) as backers for the LPs (maybe attach the LPs with an adhesive). These cut out dry wall pieces could then be attached to a mechanism allowing them to turn inside their original "holes" in the wall. Once you place the LP on top of them you'd never see that you had cut a hole in wall.

I hope that made SOME sense...

Dodfather · #4 12-14-2011, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

It sounds like a nightmare of engineering to some degree. I don't see how you could make the records "float" while spinning. In other words if you just had an LP up against a wall (not on a turntable) and turned upright, the weight of the LP would shift and it wouldn't stay "straight up and down"while it spins on whatever mechanism you've contrived... In other words you still need the "back" of the LP to rest against something (like the top of a turntable).

The real gitcher of the idea is how to make them turn. I cannot think of a way to do this other than having an electrician create a motor system of some kind. This would be easily concealed behind your "faux" dry wall... but it would likely require a motor for each LP to which to spin.

And the part I mentioned above... with the record itself not having anything to "rest" against to allow it to stand upright and spin... you'd have to come up with a way in which to "hold" the LP at the center to keep it in a fixed position.

I envision a large section of drywall with 9 holes cut out. The holes you cut in the drywall would be roughly the size of the LP label (in the center of the record). You could then use these sections of leftover drywall (the circles you've cut out) as backers for the LPs (maybe attach the LPs with an adhesive). These cut out dry wall pieces could then be attached to a mechanism allowing them to turn inside their original "holes" in the wall. Once you place the LP on top of them you'd never see that you had cut a hole in wall.

I hope that made SOME sense...

This sounds like a great idea and it would look brilliant. I can't think of how to achieve it though, it sounds like an awkward project! Go for it though.