My latest creation. The Elvish (Tolkien) script reads: “Only the worthy may open, for here be dragons.” The box contains a dragon egg–of course.
(No dragons were harmed in the creation of this box, though a dragon-handler may have gotten a bit singed in the process.)
I’ve long been enchanted by orreries (working models of the solar system). They are beautiful pieces of engineering, and just a little bit magical in the way they capture something of the mystery of an endless spinning universe.
This orrery is different: it’s a moving model of Gallifrey’s binary star system.
I spent several months constructing the model and the box that contains it, and I’m pleased with how it turned out. It reminds me of an ancient artifact that you might find in a dusty, forgotten corner of a big blue box hurtling through time and space….
Gallifreyan Orrery // c. Julie Coombes, August 29, 2016
The orange planet on the left is Gallifrey, which has (at least) two moons. One moon, Pazithi Gallifreya, was worshipped in ancient times as a virgin goddess.
Clockwise from Gallifrey:
In the center of the system are Gallifrey’s two suns. One is a large fixed-orbit, yellow-orange star, and the second, smaller star is a dwarf in a ‘slave’ orbit to the larger star. The center of mass lies between the two.
Gallifrey’s Binary Star System // Julie Coombes, 2016
It moves // Julie Coombes 2016
Yes, the model spins. No, I haven’t solved the gravitational “multi-body problem” for this star system. You’re welcome to have a go, if you like. Let me know if you work it out.
Box containing the Gallifreyan orrery // Julie Coombes 2016
I’m a latecomer to the steampunk style of making things, but I’m having so much fun now that I’ve started playing with it. My favorite part about it is the transformative nature of steampunk creations, and their ingenious reuse of anything and everything. It’s truly a trash-to-treasure art form.
My first build is in honor of Nikola Tesla and Danny Rogers. Rogers is the unsung hero of Back to the Future: the British designer who created the drawings for the original flux capacitor. My version is a small-scale machine-age replica made entirely from found objects, recycled junk, and materials I had on hand.
Anyone up for a trip?
Steampunk Flux Capacitor // made by Julie Coombes, August 8 2016
Because the world needs as much magic, whimsy, and wonder as it can get.
Dragon’s Egg // Julie Coombes July, 2016
Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. An experiment in working with a monochromatic palette.
Star Crossed // Mixed media on paper by Julie Coombes c. 2016
Julie Coombes 