Response to Flame Theater

Earth, air, fire and water - ancient elements brought beautifully together in image and sound. I loved the shimmering reflection of the flame in the rippling pool of water, surrounded by a dance of sparks.

Was the metal being cut or joined?

-- Drew (email)

Response to Flame Theater

Amazing.

My dog—a year-old chow/shepherd mix—was moved by it, too. He heard the music from the next room, ran in, and then followed the image on the screen. Through the rest of the piece, he tried to bark but was too stupefied to get out more than a whimper.

He’s already back to earth, though. As I was typing this, the neighbors slammed a car door, and he let out the deepest, most resounding bark I’ve yet heard from him.

-- Cliff Tyllick (email)

"Stop comparing what you see to something else. Describe what you see. The rocks are yellow. The shadows go that way." --ET, June 2007

-- Niels Olson (email)

Behind the scenes

The thick rough steel, probably used as a road plate at one time, was cut by a flame torch guided by an optical scanner reading my drawing for parts of a sculpture.

The work was done by Sal Rizzo of Salsco, Inc., a manufacturer of power equipment in Cheshire, Connecticut.

The sculpture being cut from 2 inch plate is a forthcoming large version of Tong Bird of Paradise.

-- ET

What a lovely video. The visual component gives an entirely new perspective, as it is often difficult to view welding or cutting procedures without protective eyewear. The soundtrack is excellent; it reminds me slightly of a fantastic Tom Waits track, What's He Building in There? from the album Mule Variations.

Bravo to Edward and Andrei.

-- Brian Kelly (email)

Sound effects

What the sound tracks for Tom Waits and Flame Theater have in common is an Edgard Varèse sound.

-- Edward Tufte

NASA flame and ice theater

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/15jan_cece.htm?list5226

-- Edward Tufte