Eleven Foot Golem Takes Calgary

Golem, an 11 foot “steampunk rock” creature by maker Shannon Chappell, is debuting at the 2nd annual Calgary Mini Maker Faire this weekend.

This giant marvel is the largest sculpture to date for Chappell. It has space for a man inside to operate a spinning Gattling gun and an array of light effects.

Golem is just one of the centerpieces that another Shannon Hoover, the organizer of the Calgary Mini Maker Faire — is brimming with excitement over.

There is also Angela Dale‘s gorgeous Chameleon Dress, a magnificent etextile project that glows and pulses along with music.

Fabricator / sculptor / jeweler Jeff de Boer is bringing one of his meticulous, crazy looking armored cat sculptures called Tournament Cat.

Shannon notes how much more connected makers are in Calgary just after one year of the event.

“I am so excited about what building this event and community is doing for our city. The more that we do, the more elevated that the maker community becomes.”

And it sounds like the city of Calgary is indeed responding. The Calgary Mini Maker Faire expects to triple in size in its second year to 3,000 visitors. This year it’s also part of a new city-wide arts and engineering festival, Beakerhead, founded by Mary Anne Moser (previously of the University of Calgary) and Jay Ingram of Discovery Channel.

Bay Area Maker Faire fans may have seen news through social media that a Maker Faire favorite, Five Ton Crane’s Raygun Gothic Rocketship, was imported and installed in Calgary for the Beakerhead Festival.

The Rocketship is an exciting maker import for Calgary, and Hoover especially is stoked to meet the Five Ton Crane crew. Hoover’s first Maker Faire was the year the Rocketship showed at Maker Faire Bay Area. “My hope is that we can give the Five Ton Crane guys a run for the money in a few years!” says Hoover.

I don’t know. I think it’s fair to imagine the 11′ Golem, the Chameleon Dress and the Tournament Cat taking on the Rocketship, right here and now in 2013.

Get tickets for the Calgary Mini Maker Faire, Saturday and Sunday, September 14 & 15.