What's this about? - When will all this happen? - How can I help? - What fun! How can I learn more about this?

A Mead Endowment “Dream Idea”

UVa's "Boots" Mead Endowment has kindly agreed to support a student team to build and pilot an entry in the 2006 Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race (http://www.kineticbaltimore.com/). The kinetic sculpture race is a pataphysical romp through the streets, waterways, mud pits, and sand traps of downtown Baltimore. Each year in early May, teams of artists, engineers, back-yard tinkerers, and avant-garde bicycle mechanics converge on the city of Baltimore with an array of human-powered amphibious vehicles in tow. The pilots (Kinetinauts), their pit crews, and passengers (or Barnacles) peddle, paddle, push, and pull their sculptures, and enthusiastically cajole their team mates to achieve the height of mediocrity - a dead center finish - in the grueling trial that is the kinetic sculpture race. Noteworthy teams might also be honored with numerous awards including artistic merit, engineering savvy, unbounded optimism (the opposite of engineering savvy), top bribes for race officials, best costumes, and most excellent on-board sock puppet.

The eight-hour long race covers a 15 mile course, with two segments in the Baltimore Harbor, one segment of thick mud, and one segment through sand traps.

Would you like to join a UVA-TEAM and try your hand at an off-the-wall romp on land and sea this Spring? This project will be student-designed and built by our intrepid volunteers. I hope to build our UVA-TEAM from eager volunteers spanning many disciplines, including: arts (because we want to turn heads and blow minds), science (every ship needs a science officer!), engineering & architecture (because we want to stay in one piece, float, and keep looking good), medieval studies (think about those “bizarre olde world contraptions”...), psychology – (no comment)... and all kin of Alfred Jarry, Rube Goldberg, and the Dadaists who may be found on Grounds at UVa. Let's look forward to a spectacular showing in Baltimore this May!

We'll be start building our team in November/December 2005 and begin planning/design discussions as soon as possible thereafter.  Come and explore the intersections of art, mechanical design, and creative mayhem. 

Rough Schedule:
- Initial meeting: November 15! 
- Main design meetings: through February
- Main contruction efforts: Febrary through April
- A test voyage: April 1!
- The big event in Baltimore: May 6

The UVa Kinetic Art Race Team needs you!  There are many opportunities to help out and make this project fly (or float, actually...):

• We need dedicated students interesting in tackling issues of design, form, function, and aesthetics...
• Engineering details in structure and propulsion...
• Web design and photo/video documentation...
• We need costumers, sound artists, sock puppet creators, etc...
• Mad scientists and free tinkerers, ...
• Race day pit crew and supporters, ...
• And many talented supporters we don't even know about yet!

For more information, contact: Bob Hirosky ( )

Stay tuned for more updates.

Next year's race will be held on Saturday, May 6, so plan carefully to avoid exam conflicts on that day.