Mark Blumenstein
Metalworks
West Virginia, USA
Mark Blumenstein is a former South Street resident. He worked in the food co op and was part of the South Street migration to West Virginia where he bought a big piece of land and became a farmer, then a welder. Beginning in 1973 he began working with recycled materials, transforming them into kinetic objects. He started by using old farm machinery, stove parts, and bicycles, and now he uses old silver pieces to create tab-top works in addition to his larger metalworks. (Information and image taken from markblumenstein.com)
Philadelphia’s Magic gardens has two of his pieces, a kinetic bike wheel that cycles in the wind and the four-armed painter on the roof. The painter took a day to make, then was strapped to the roof of the Zagar van, driven up to Philadelphia, and installed by Zagar’s friend John Cope and his team. It’s meant to carry on the conversation with William Penn in the sky over Philadelphia.
Example:
Four-Armed Painter
Metal pieces
Location: Chimney of the Community Center adjacent to PMG
