YMCA Mobile

Here's one of the projects we have on tap this fall:

It's a 25-foot-long mobile with a smaller accent piece—inspired by our Progression Mobile—that will hang in the lobby of a Rhode Island YMCA.

Happy Summer!

Things may be quiet on the Ekko Blog, but it's not because we're bored! Here are a few things we've been up to this summer:

  • Ekko Workshop on Fab.com
  • New York trip to repair this mobile from Hurricane Sandy damages
  • Brainstorming and prepping for several projects slated for fall.
  • Wall bashing in preparation for some shop renovations.
  • Bicycling. A lot.
  • Vacation to various destinations, where we enjoyed oceans, lakes, rivers, mountains, Redwood trees, farm animals, son cones, and lots and lots of family time. Long live summer!

Lee Elementary Mobile Unveiling

The kiddos at Lee Elementary wrapped up the school year with a grand unveiling of the mobiles we worked with them to create. Various groups of students created mobile designs, and the entire school held a vote to decide on the final two designs, which we then built for them.

We had so much fun working with these kids. We have a sneaking suspicion that a few future mobile makers might be in that group on students!

Poinciana Medical Center Mobile

A client just forwarded us this photo of the mobile we recently provided. This ceiling feature hangs 14 feet tall by 10 feet wide by 5 feet deep and hangs in the Poinciana Medical Center in Florida.

Light Mobile Progress

We're making good progress on the lighting mobile we mentioned last week. Yesterday, Matt and Ben got the LED lights successfully installed, and in this picture, Matt is, in typical Matt fashion, ensuring it's flawless.

(The camera settings make the ring look extra radiant. We kinda like the halo look it created.)

Light Mobile

Our current project is our first foray into the exciting world of lighting. We're creating a large mobile for a hospital in Clear Lake, Texas (near the NASA campus), out of three translucent acrylic rings, 12 feet, 8 feet, and 6 feet in diameter. Each ring will have LED lighting instead to create a glowy effect. (Is "glowy" a word?)

Here's a "before" shot of the materials:

Art, Math, Science

As we mentioned last month, we've been working with the PTA of a nearby elementary school to provide the students with an art-literacy program.

Now maybe we're biased, but as a couple of artists with design and engineering background, we think mobiles are a fantastic art form to incorporate into a classroom curriculum, because not only does it encourage creative thinking, but it also integrates math, physics, problem solving, and analytical thinking* in general.

Thing is, art, math, and science are each individually important subjects. But introduced together, it create meaning, relevance, and a tangible learning expience.

And besides, as these kids could tell you, it's just plain fun.

*Matt half-jokes that he uses more engineering to make mobile than in his past life as a natural-gas pipeline engineer.

Ekko Workshop Website

Ekko Workshop now has its own little corner of the internet. Be sure to check out the new website at www.ekkoworkshop.com. (If you're so included to buy something, we're providing free shipping on all orders within the US.)

And if you really want to humor us, you can like our Ekko Workshop Facebook page or become a devoted Twitter follower. (And stick around this here blog for updates on commissions and projects and other fun stuff!)

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