The Teignmouth Horse
By Steve Yeates and Matthew Blount
Trail 2019
The Teignmouth Horse is inspired by childhood memories of mechanical toys and automatons. Steve Yeates and Matthew Blount are proposing to create a running horse powered by a wind turbine; made from recycled materials. We want our “Teignmouth Horse” to engage with the public by enabling discussions about the re-use and re-purposing of society’s waste, sustainable energy and the environment. Our running horse will capture the imagination of the viewer and reflect upon the beauty and fragility of nature.
Introduction
Steve discovered, in his late Uncle Jim’s garage, who was an inventor and an engineer, an old differential; a device that transfers power from the vertical to the horizontal. It was this device that enabled the transfer of power from a wind turbine to an automaton and thus gave birth the idea of The Teignnouth Horse.
Steve and Matthe have previously collaborated on Teignmouth Sculpture Trail projects in the past and have come together to work on The Teignmouth Horse. Below are two photos of projects from previous years that Steve and Matthew have collaborated on.
Tin Man
Condor
Proposal and concept
We propose to produce a wind powered, running horse made from recycled materials.
The base of the sculpture is mounted upon a 1.1m x 1.1m square polycarb pallet.
The wind turbine is made from a used oil drum mounted on a desk chair acting as a bearing. The oil drum is sliced in half, length ways, and mounted as foils of a wind turbine.
Below are the beginnings of our wind turbine
Wind Turbine design.
Our design uses an old desk chair as a lazy susan bearing so that the blades of the drum can spin horizontally and catch the wind coming in any direction.
Safety. The mechanical part of the sculpture is encased in a scaffolding frame covered with reclaimed garden fencing to keep finger away from any moving parts.
The differential (left) is fixed to the top of the turbine that transfers the turbines horizontal motion to a vertical motion.
Horse Design.
The beauty of the horse design is that it transfers the wind turbine’s horizontal motion in to the representation of a running horse. We will be constructing the horse from waste pipe, bed frame poles, curtain rails, drain pipes, second hand plumbing materials etc. The mechanism of the horse moves the front and the back legs alternately representing the motion of a running horse.
Installation requirements.
We would need a suitable flat surface for the installation of the sculpture. One of the flowerbeds on the beachfront would be an ideal location for the installation for its naturally windy and the dynamic aspect. Taking in to consideration this location all moving parts will be protected and materials used will be corrosive resistant. We expect the horse to be maximum 2.5(h) x1.4(w) x 1.1(d)m
We will use ‘met posts’ (fence post fixings) knocked into the ground to secure the four sides of the base that is on legs, which will fit into these fixings and can then be bolted or screwed for stability and security.
Sculpture material list
The base is a recycled polycarb palette.
The swivel mechanism is an old office chair.
The wind turbine is an oil drum.
The differential has been sourced from old engineering scrap.
The support structure is second hand scaffolding/ wood scrap.
The body of the horse is re-used plumbing materials/ waste pipe, bed frame etc
We estimate that over 80% of the sculpture will be recycled materials.
Steve Yeates
Unit D112
62 Tritton Rd
London
SE218DE
Tel 07768455616
Matthew Blount
187 Carnwath Road
London SW6 3EJ
Tel: 07854 885 863