The Queen Alien

The Queen Alien is a 9.5′ foot walking puppet. She is operated by a single person and has a kinetic mouth, arms, legs and tail. She weighs a total of 55 pounds. She makes an annual trek through New Orleans during the Chewbacchus parade with the walking crew, Queer Eye for the Sci Fi.

Luminoak

Luminoak is a beacon for Algiers, and an invitation to those visiting to experience a deeper connection to this integral part of Greater New Orleans. The lacework in Luminoak takes you on a visual journey of the rich culture and stories of a layered land.

The oak tree symbolizes the endurance, power, and wisdom representing the people and spirit of Algiers. It was completely hand-sculpted and is a nod to the way the community was built by generations of its devoted residents. The front of the sculpture reveals its full crescent shape joining with the oak tree to encircle the space within. These features represent Algiers’ position in relation to the river. By sitting in the sculpture, you feel the welcoming embrace of this significant community.

Luminoak aims to engage visitors, promote recognition of Algiers as a part of Greater New Orleans, and create a unique representation of the community’s identity and spirit.

Cicadence

Cicadence is a dazzling kinetic interactive artwork; designed to engage and serve as a landmark both day and night. Cicadas can be found all over the world and are therefore familiar to almost anyone visiting the convention center. The way cicadas emerge and come together with their brood on specific timelines serves as a metaphor to the way people come to the convention center from all over the world to congregate over shared interests. Visually, the delicate structure of the wings against the alien exoskeleton body are a compelling combination.

Overview: The sculpture consists of an abstracted tree branch base with the bug perched on top. Overall dimensions are 12’ wide wingtip to wingtip and 12.5’ tall. The wings move up and down, powered by a hand crank located in the sculpture base. The cicada body is hand sculpted from flat-patterned steel, and gaps between the pieces allow internal LED lighting to skim the surfaces and cast interesting shadows at night. The wings have a veining pattern cut out of sheet steel.

The Mechanics!

The simple version: There is a wheel to spin on the base that anyone can use to crank the wings into motion. The outside wheel is connected to an internal push rod that is attached to the wings. Once the person has stopped spinning the wheel, the wings continue moving! This action is similar to the way a pedal works on a geared bicycle-the wheels can still move while the pedals have stopped.