October 17, 2006
The Flying Steamroller
The Flying Steamroller by the Artist Chris Burden is a twelve ton steamroller that is attached to a pivoting arm with a counterbalance weight. The steamroller is driven in a circle until its maximum speed is reached. At the same time, a hydraulic piston is activated and pushes up the beam from which the steamroller is suspended, causing the steamroller to lift off the ground. Because of the combined weight of the steamroller and the counterbalance, which is approximately 48 tons, the steamroller, once lifted off the ground, continues to spin, or "fly" for several minutes. As the steamroller nears the end of its circular motion, or when the spinning momentum is exhausted, the hydraulic piston is slowly retracted and the steamroller gently lands. I filmed this last Sunday outside Tate Britain.
Posted by mehrdad at October 17, 2006 05:54 PM
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