Kbaumlier

Author: Kbaumlier

Kristen Baumlier’s work spans the full spectrum of interdisciplinary media, including performance, interactive installation, video and audio works.

Solar Bottle Bulbs – A Liter of Light

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Kbaumlier

Need more light? A solar bottle light bulb was designed by an engineer from Brazil in 2002 who wanted to find a cheap way to illuminate dark and small spaces in low-income areas in Brazil. The “solar bottle bulb” as it is called is made of an empty 1.5 liter soda bottle which is filled with purified water and liquid bleach, and is put into the roof of a home or shack so that it is half outside and half inside the structure. The result is a light source that during the day puts out as much light as a 50W incandescent bulb.

This simple solution to bring light to a dark space is easy to make. To make and install a bottle bulb, it takes about an hour. The design has been used by some MIT students and others in an effort to bring light to the Phillippines to homes that do not have access to daylight or electricity. Currently, millions of Filipinos live without any kind of light source in living spaces.

The project Liter of Light called Isang Litrong Liwanag, is a sustainable lighting project done by MIT students which aims to bring the Solar Bottle Bulb’ to communities nationwide. To date, the organization has installed 10,000 of these units throughout the city of Manila.

Image Source:
Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light)

Links:

Use a 2-Liter Bottle a a 50 Watt Ligth Bulb lightbulb

Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light)

DIY: Make your own Projector out of a Cornflake Box

Posted on March 19, 2012March 22, 2012 by Kbaumlier

Today I was checking out the Lumen Festival’s website which had a link to directions on how to build your own projector out of a cardboard box, a lens, and a small lcd. The instructions and pictures are on instructabes.com, my fabfav diy site.

There are step by step instructions of how to build one. The pictures show how to do it using a cereal box, a pringles can, and various small electronic parts. It seems pretty easy to make, just a bit of work to find a lens and LCD monitor.

In recent years, projectors have been getting smaller, brighter, and cheaper. This DIY version does not seem to be the brightest or smallest – but it is cheap and adaptable.

I’m thinking of having my Media Installation class work on building one by the end of the semester and telling my brother who puts on a big Halloween show for his neighborhood to take a look. He could definately use one for the upcoming Halloween pirate show next October.

Image Source:
Make Your Own Homemade Projector – Instructables.com

Links:

Make Your Own Homemade Projector – Instructables.com

Youtube Video of the Projector working

Sol Food Mobile Farm – A Farm Project on Wheels

Posted on March 18, 2012March 20, 2012 by Kbaumlier

Yesterday when I was driving through Durham, NC with my sister-in-law, I saw a red bus that had “SOL FOOD MOBILE FARM” painted on the side of it. I got home and looked it up, and learned about a new mobile bus food project that is based out of Durham, North Carolina.

Sol Food Mobile Farm is a non-profit that aims to teach about square foot gardening, nutrition, composting, alternative fuels, and outdoor living. The project operates out of a 1996 International Blue Bird bus that was converted to run on waste vegetable oil. The bus also has a living green roof, a mobile greenhouse, solar panels, a compost setup, waste water collection tanks, a wood burning stove, and a livable classroom space made of recycled materials.

Sustainable? Yes. But that’s not all. The bus has a non-conventional classroom and also has some recreational outdoor activity gear. Canoes, bikes, camping equipment, skateboards, and kayaks will be used and demonstrated by the staff.

The mobile farm plans to hit the road in June, and will be stopping in ten cities to lead a series of workshops, each of which spans five days. The workshops focus on gardening, nutrition, composting and alternative fuels. The team hopes to foster a greater understanding of square foot gardening, composting, nutrition, alternative fuels, and outdoor living.

Currently, the group has a video on indiegogo.com, a crowd funding site, and is hoping to raise the rest of the funds needed for their trip by April. Want to learn more about gardening? If you see a red bus – you might just be getting closer.

Image Source:
Sol Food Mobile Farm
Links:

Sol Food Mobile Farm Blog

Sol Food Mobile Farm – Video on indiegogo.com

Grade School Lunch: Nachos, the Tooth Fairy and Flying Toilets

Posted on March 16, 2012March 17, 2012 by Kbaumlier

Yesterday I able to go eat lunch with my nephew’s first grade class at his school. I wasn’t sure how much first grade boys would want to chat with me, but it turns out that they are curious about any visitor. They were excited to talk and I was interested to see what they had for lunch.

At lunch we talked about important things like the tooth fairy. Everyone agreed that the tooth fairy is real and I was able to share that the tooth fairy came to visit me years ago. My nephew lost two teeth this week, and everyone shared their tooth and tooth fairy stories.

The boys were interested in what I teach and were impressed when I told them that I had my own website. I heard about a great game on the ipad where you throw toilets in the air. Everyone talked about if they had a wii, Playstation, or Xbox. We also talked about Captain Underpants books- and everyone shared how fast they can read them or how many they had read.

Half of the boys had purchased the school lunch. Served on a tray, it consisted of a big serving of nachos with cheese and meat, french fries, a fruit cup, and chocolate milk. Everyone seemed to eat ate the nachos and fruit cup, but did not eat the french fries. The other students with packed lunches usually had a sandwich, some snacks, and fruit.

The school is a public school in Chapel Hill, NC . Before going to lunch I took a peek at the school lunch calendar which had some items that are labeled local or whole grain (like chicken nuggets?)

I recently watched the documentary Killer at Large: Why Obesity is our Biggest Threat which talked about the school lunch system, the USDA, and about the regulations that make it necessary to serve high caloric foods for kids. Overall the movie had good information – but it became overwhelming after a while, especially when they talked about how the USDA officials are usually former or future executives from food companies such as Kraft and other companies.

When my nephew brought out his Star Wars fruit snacks, he became the center of attention. Everyone wanted one – to eat or to play with.

Lunch ended suddenly – when our 20 minutes were up. Someone spilled chocolate milk, trash was thrown out, and everyone lined up near the wall. I plan to come back on my next visit, and see what’s for lunch that day.

Links:

School Lunch Menu – Chapel Hill and Carrboro

Yarnbombing – from Carrboro, NC and Beyond

Posted on March 15, 2012June 11, 2012 by Kbaumlier

Today I was driving in Carrboro, NC with my sister-in-law and we drove past a series of public graffiti works made of yarn. A knitted piece that looks like watermelon surrounding part of a tree, a group of small trees with arm-band looking pieces on each trunk, and knitted pieces on the railings, poles, and planters of the public library were all part of the “yarn bombing” piece that was put up one night in February.

Also called knit graffiti, yarn bombing started over 20 years ago, when artists and groups wanted to give a softer side to urban environments – and created public works using yarn and other soft fiber materials. Maternal expressions such as knitting, or wrapping up something have been used to transform the cold, concrete, and metal elements in our landscapes. Hydrants, lampposts, mailboxes, bicycles, cars, and even buses and bridges have all been yarn bombed in recent years. In 2009, the book, “Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti” was published, and yarn bombing has gone global, with the first International Yarn Bombing Day held on June 11 of last year.

Not all yarn bombing is created equal. Where I live in Cleveland, a local artist was commissioned to make several pubic yarn pieces that wrap trees and poles in the area. They are bright, crocheted, and colored and function as a decoration on the elements that they cover. the objects are softer, but not transformed into something of substance. . The pieces here in Carrboro are more successful, and a great example of yarn bombing done well. The pieces seem to have a sense of humor, and pattern, color, and context seem to be considered in the works. At the center of the pieces is a bus bench, that has been yarn bombed to read, “I (heart) YARN” – which serves as a artist statement of the group.

Yarn bombing is often considered littering or vandalism. Pieces are often installed at night, and sometimes are removed by city officials. Some groups, like the Carrboro group will get permission before making the pieces, and also follow guidelines such as making the pieces less than 8 feet tall, and on specific public spaces.

Links:

Yarnbombing Hits Carrboro Article

Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti (the Book and Website)

25 Amazing Yarn Bombs – Buzzfeed.com