White River Health System Mobile

Here's the massive mobile Matt and Ben just installed in Batesville, Arkansas at the new White River Health System facility.

Ben doubled as the on-site photographer, so we've got plenty of pictures of the installation process. Stay tuned!

Fragile: Precious Cargo

We've spent the past few weeks prepping to install this mobile (our tallest yet!). It will require a lot of on-site assembly, so the prep work hasn't been terribly glamorous or photo-worthy. But this moment always feels worth documenting:

All the mobile components are all crated up for a cross-country trip, and the freight company should arrive any minutes. Safe travels, mobile! We'll see you in Arkansas!

Interactive Museum Mobiles

Several months ago, we created a set of interactive mobile kits (similar to these) to accompany the Calder exhibit at Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.

Today, we got an e-mail from the kind folks at Duke with this subject line: "Nasher visitors LOVE the mobiles."

As if that wasn't enough to make our day, the e-mail detailed how the interactive mobiles have been a huge hit at the museum, and how the museum has even created an online game where visitors can display their actual mobile creations in a virtual gallery. (And if you haven't been to Nasher Museum of Art, you can mess around with their sample creations.)

My Nasher Gallery

But the very best part? This facebook gallery of happy Nasher patrons. That's a whole lot of people discovering the joy of mobile making.

Frame of Reference

This picture also shows the enormity of the materials we picked up last week. Matt is surely contemplating some important geometric equation. But it kinda looks like he's psyching himself up to hula hoop with that thing.

More Materials

Matt and Ben knew this next set of materials for the Arkansas hospital mobile wouldn't fit into the trusty Subaru. But they were surprised that even with a rented pickup truck they were pushing their luck!

And right about now, we're glad we reorganized and tidied up the shop back in March. With three big projects in the queue this summer, we're going to have some seriously tight quarters for awhile. (No complaints, though. It's a good problem to have!)

Ring Leader

Right now, we're starting the fabrication process on this mobile. Step one? Acquiring materials.

Pictured here, nestled in the back of Matt's trusty Subaru, is the first set of materials: a bunch of rings, made of rolled stainless steel tubing, that will serve as the mobile's framework.

New Camera

Ben just got himself a fancy new camera, and he's been snapping shots like crazy to tinker with settings and refine his skills. If you notice a dramatic improvement in images around here, you can thank Ben and the fancy camera.

Mobiles at Leith Honda Dealership

The kind folks at Leith Honda Dealership in Raleigh sent along images of the mobiles we made hanging in their dealership. Enjoy!

Charities Housing Mobile

Matt spent the day in San Jose, where he installed this mobile in a newly constructed affordable-housing development:

It may have been the smoothest installation ever in Ekko history, giving poor Matt a few hours to squander in the sunshine before catching his return flight to drizzle.

(Our) Tallest Mobile Ever

Here are sketches of an exciting project in our queue. Although the project isn't due for a few months, it's already occupying a sizable chunk of our mental real estate. It will be our tallest project to date (40 feet tall!), and one of the many complexities will involve ensuring that its hundreds of polished stainless-steel shapes stay polished throughout the process...

The final piece will be installed in a hospital in Arkansas, where it will hang in the cafeteria's multi-story atrium area. As pictured in the second rendering, visitors will be able to view the mobile from higher floors of the hospital.