The Physics of Found Objects
Steampunk HQ is housed in an 1883 grain elevator building, its limestone structure providing a historical backdrop for retro-futuristic technology. The museum, which opened in November 2011, repurposes industrial and mechanical waste into interactive art that shows fundamental scientific principles. Outside, a modified NZR DS class diesel locomotive is a primary exhibit. This sculpture is an assembly of scrap metal and salvaged industrial parts. For a small fee, it activates a sequence of lights and sounds, culminating in it expelling flames from its smokestack.
Inside the darkened galleries, the exhibits explore themes of a post-apocalyptic future powered by steam. One central piece is the "Metagalactic Pipe Organ," an interactive installation that allows visitors to create a range of extraterrestrial and industrial sounds. This device uses the core principles of acoustics; pressing the keys forces air through repurposed pipes and chambers of varying lengths and shapes, causing the air columns to vibrate at different frequencies to produce sound. The organ shows how resonance can be generated from unconventional materials. The collection has objects made from copper, gears, and gas cylinders, all constructed from recycled materials.
The Optics of Another Dimension
A significant installation within Steampunk HQ is "The Portal," a retro-futuristic infinity room. This exhibit was designed in collaboration with Auckland-based spatial architect Angus Muir. The room's floor, ceiling, and walls are completely mirrored. Hundreds of multi-colored LED pixel lights hang from the ceiling in a lattice formation, creating complex light sequences that move through the space.
The Portal is an application of optical physics. The parallel mirrored surfaces create a series of reflections that appear to recede into an infinite distance. Each reflection is a virtual image of the one before it, with light rays bouncing back and forth between the mirror surfaces. The LED lights serve as the objects being reflected, and their programmed sequences create a dynamic, moving visual field that gives the impression of traveling through space or another dimension. This effect shows the law of reflection, where the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, creating a seemingly endless series of images.