My first foray into kinetic art was a seven-foot tall, welded steel blender powered by a 1600cc VW engine and transmission with my long-time creative partner, Jonas Nash, who initially envisioned a lawnmower-powered blender. I was only interested in collaborating on this project if it could be built in a more extreme 60hp format with propane injected tailpipe flame thrower. Over the contraption’s life, it was used once in a stage performance, filling the venue with oily smoke and triggering fire alarms. Deciding that it was an outdoor toy, it would be towed on a dedicated trailer to events with sizable outdoor gatherings and street sides adjacent to gallery openings up and down the West Coast (typically unannounced) to put on performances and to mix and serve 20-gallon batches of blended ice daiquiri. Although a great success the project prematurely self-terminated due to a leaking propane valve exploding the engine mid-blend to great applause and no ill or unintended consequences to the audience.
Sadly there is not a single great photo of this awesome contraption. I have often prioritized building, performing, and experiencing over documenting and that ethos was only exacerbated in 2005 by the need to buy and process actual physical film.