*Nemo Gould's steampunk squid draws an audience at the Maker Faire festival. *
SAN MATEO, California -- Creepy cyber art and strange steampunk shapes, like this giant mecha-squid, dominated the showroom floor during Saturday's festivities.
On-lookers brave enough to push a pulsating, red button positioned next to the tentacles of the cephalopoda were rewarded by the steampunk machine slowly swimming to life. Aided by a cleverly concealed chain-drive motor, the deep sea creature gently undulated for a minute or two before grinding to a halt.
Berkeley-based artist Nemo Gould, who spent nearly three months building the 400-pound, 11-foot long giant sea creature, took inspiration from science-fiction author Jules Verne to build the machine. "I borrowed the brain of a 14-year old boy," said Gould of his kinetic sculpture. "I just went straight to robots and monsters for ideas."
Gould fashioned the squid's brassy tentacles from railings snagged at building site and formed the body by welding street lamp backs together. Gould fasted red and blue LEDs behind elk eyeballs purchased at a taxidermy shop to give the beast a slightly menacing glare.
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Photo: Kat Wade/Wired.com*
