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Documented artwork / interactive kinetic zoetrope

Charon

Peter Hudson

A human-powered stroboscopic zoetrope animates skeletal figures around a large wheel. Rope-pulling participants coordinate the rotation until flashes reveal the mythological ferryman’s motion.

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Documented work. Current availability, ownership and installation requirements must be confirmed with the artist.

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Image from the project source for Charon
Image: hudzo.com ↗

At a glance

Year / version
2011
Materials
steel, recycled plastic
Documented setting
unknown
Dimensions
30-foot spinning wheel described in the Building 180 project record
Dimensions apply to
Wheel dimension stated in a city-hosted Building 180 submission; it does not give full installation envelope, rigging clearance or packed size.
Availability
Unconfirmed

Places & versions

Installation history

Historical presentations. A past installation does not establish the current location or suitability for a new site.

  1. 2011

    Burning Man, Black Rock City, Nevada

    Event
    Burning Man
    Start year
    2011
    Date meaning
    premiere

    Installation details checked 2026-10-17.

    Installation source

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Research notes for project planning

How this work was made and presented

London presentation planning, September 2022

The host planned an experience around the mechanism

GDIF’s 2022 Charon page documents a planned London presentation at Limmo Peninsula with site design by A Right/Left Project and audio engineering by d&b Audiotechnik. Visitor information included rolling entry, level access, seating, accessible toilets, strobe-free sessions and a touch tour. The page also retains a cancellation notice following Queen Elizabeth II’s death. These details are a historical access and production reference, not evidence that every advertised date or session took place.

Greenwich+Docklands International Festival — Charon ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10

For your project brief

What equivalent access options, advance sensory information and visitor circulation plan should a proposed host discuss with the artist?

Big Art Partners planning prompt

Charon’s London and Nantes presentations, reported January 2023

A producer’s retrospective confirms international movement

Building 180’s January 2023 review of its prior year states that the team shipped Peter Hudson’s Charon to London and Nantes for free public art events. This is retrospective evidence of the 2022 international production effort, beyond a prospective tour announcement. It provides a reference for the producer’s role in moving a large kinetic work between hosts. It does not disclose freight costs, packed dimensions, customs arrangements or future booking availability.

Building 180 — 2022 retrospective ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10

For your project brief

Which party would manage transport, import documentation, technical staff and the handoff between successive hosts?

Big Art Partners planning prompt
Interactive art installations ↗Light art installations ↗Art documented at Burning Man ↗Kinetic sculpture and installations ↗

Plan the next step

How to plan an outdoor sculpture loan ↗How to prepare a site brief for large-scale public art ↗

Sources