Canary Resuscitator
The Canary Resuscitation Tank, a piece of equipment manufactured to revive canaries after gas inhalation down the mines; demonstrating the act of caring for the birds lives, whilst they protected those of the miners.
Following is a kinetic sculpture; a magnified version of the original resuscitator; with the same functions to bring a model canary to life, but incorporating other mining machinery.
A whorl (the wheel that lowered the cages down the pit) is powered through audience interaction, requiring physical input, echoing the manual labour of mining. The rotation of the wheel powers a crank, which in turn activates a double acting box bellow, creating a constant airflow in relation to the rotating wheel. This airflow then powers a turbine connected to an ornithopter, a model bird that imitates the movement of flying.
The flying model canary, therefore, is brought to life through the workings of the wheel.
