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Commercial Tesla coil in operation, showing a large brush discharge from a metal wire attached to the toroidal high voltage terminal, Photo by One Tesla-Wikimedia
Top 10 Sensational Facts about Electrum, New Zealand
The electrum in New Zealand ranks among the largest Tesla coils on the earth. The coil is about 1300,000 watts unit, the work of Eric Orr. He was helped by an electrical engineer and expert in high voltage Grey Leyh.
Eric Orr is an artist famed for being a pioneer of the California light and space movement of the late 1960s. His work centered around natural phenomena such as fire water and vapor. He was among the artists commissioned by Allan Gibbs, the owner of Gibbs farm, New Zealand.
Gibbs asked Eric Orr to create the electrum with the help of Grey Leyh. Hence the electrum is part of the Gibbs farm collections in Auckland. The electrum has been in the facility since April 1998. Learn more about the electrum, New Zealand with these ten fascinating realities about Eric Orr’s sculpture.
1. It is one of the largest Tesla coils in the world
Tesla coil with a long exposure, with visible spark trails-Wikimedia
Tesla coils were first invented by the famous Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla. During his time, Tesla was dubbed the “mad scientist”. Allan Gibbs appreciated Tesla coil technology. So he allowed a Tesla coil sculpture to be built on his Gibbs farm in Auckland.
Gibbs approved the work in April 1998. It is one of the world’s largest Tesla coils. The coil stands 11.5 meters in height and operates at a power level of up to 130000 watts.
2. The electrum has a high voltage
Tesla coil art, made by Lunarch Studios Inc. for their game Prismata, Image by Lunarch Studios Inc.-Wikimedia
The electrum was built by Eric Orr and Grey Leyh. Grey was a high voltage specialist. The electrum produces over 3 million voltages enough to rip electrons out of air molecules around it. Thus the Tesla coil where the electrum is built around operates at a power level of 1300000 watts unit that produces 3 million volts.
3. The electrum was set up in April 1998
The electrum was commissioned by Allan Gibbs and created by Eric Orr and electrical engineer Grey Leyh. The electrum art sculpture with a height of thirty-eight meters high Tesla coil was created in April 1998 on Gibbs farm.
4. The Electrum is the masterpiece of Eric Orr and Grey Leahy
Eric Orr was a renowned artist from Los Angeles. His sculptures often combined fire, water, and a sense of drama. With the help of electrical engineer Grey Leyh and the team, Orr was able to come up with a massive structure. New Zealand and San Francisco recognize Eric Orr for different creations. He was able to design and built a cylinder with the sphere known as a faraday cage on top of the electrum.
5. The electrum is not the biggest Tesla Coil ever created
Tesla coil, Nikola Tesla Museum, Photo by Jorge Láscar-Wikimedia
The electrum is the largest Tesla coil currently in existence but it wasn’t the biggest ever created. The 18-story Tesla coil built-in 1903 by Nikola Tesla on long island is the largest ever created Tesla coil. Nikola’s project, ended due to a lack of funding before it became operational.
6. The electrum is on Gibbs farm
The electrum sculptured art is displayed at the Gibbs farm in Auckland New Zealand. The magnificent piece is the work of artist Eric Orr with help of engineer Grey Leyh. Gibbs farm is a privately owned property belonging to Allan Gibbs one of New Zealand’s successful entrepreneurs.
7. The Electrum’s top is spherical and can hold a human
The interesting part of the electrum is the hallow spherical cage on top of it which can hold a human. Grey Leyh often sits there during discharge shows. The arcs from the coil would kill anyone they struck. Hence the faraday cage was created by the sphere to protect anyone in the sphere from the voltage.
8. Grey Leahy paid homage to Nikola Tesla during the first testing of the electrum
Nikola Tesla in his laboratory in Colorado Springs in December 1899, sat reading next to his high voltage generator while the machine produced huge bolts of electricity. Photographer: Dickenson V. Alley and Restored by Lošmi-Wikimedia
During the first test demonstration where a constant stream of lightning discharged amid an enormous buzz. Mr. Leyh sat shielded inside the sphere reading a book. He did this to pay homage to the famous photograph of Tesla. The photo shows Nikola reading while seated on a chair while a coil erupts into a lightning frenzy behind him.
9. The electrum is free to watch
The electrum at the Gibbs farm is open monthly by the owners to allow visitors to the center. But any visit to the facility requires prior arrangements before visiting. There are no walk-in visits allowed so remember to make reservations early. The facility is open to artists, institutions, charities, and the public. There is no admission fee needed to visit Gibbs farm.
10. The electrum featured in Alberta’s award-winning documentary
The electrum piece was the subject of a 2000 documentary and the 2011 documentary by Alberta Chu. Alberta is the founder of Asklabs which is a Boston-based documentary film company. The filmmaker Chu, is also a producer and writer. She is passionate about art and science. Hence she has a unique way of blending the two in her documentaries.
The electrum is among the sculpture art collection at the Gibbs farm. The farm is an amazing place to visit while you’re in New Zealand. It is a wonderland of sculptured art. The facility also has a few exotic animals to look at. It opens once a month to the public based on prior arrangements and it is free to visit.
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