Steam Engine Popular at GAS Benefit Auction


photo by Mike Shelbo

Bandhu completed his third glass steam engine just in time to display it during the Glass Art Society conference held in June 2004 in New Orleans. As part of the conference program, he demonstrated some of his techniques for Society members with his whimsical kinetic contraption in full operation beside him.

Operating on the same principles as traditional steam engines of the 19th Century, Bandhu's table-top machines are made entirely of glass, with only a few bushings and other small fittings made of Teflon™ or other modern materials. Brightly colored wheels spin, beams and linkages rock and slide, while pistons and valves pump back and forth with a soft chugging sound-much like a locomotive-as steam is released. The product of two years of research and experimentation, each engine also requires over 100 hours to create.

Says Bandhu, "When artists work with glass, we have the intimate creative experience of moving the material, spinning it and heating it. This is a big part of why we love glass. The final owners of our works often have little or no idea what this is like, and the piece just sits on a shelf or pedestal. Kinetic glass, and steam engines in particular, give members of the art audience a little bit of the artist's own everyday experience. At the same time, the Victorian technology of steam, executed with modern materials, has a fascination and even a romance that draws the viewer in irresistibly. People have a lot of fun staring at the engines for a long time, trying to figure out for themselves how all the parts work."

On the last day of the GAS conference, Bandhu donated his engine to the Society's benefit auction. Possibly the most popular piece at the event, it evoked cheers from the audience when it was rolled out for display, operating "at full steam." The engine also brought one of the highest prices of the evening.