Queen of the Playa: Daisy

"Solar electric power is pretty simple really. In many ways, much more simple than a gas engine. I think the trike image helps to give Daisy a playful, friendly feel."

-eatART engineer Charlie Brinson

Appearance is Daisy’s greatest tool for achieving eatART’s goal of awareness. Size and structure are Daisy’s greatest appeals. She is something that is both familiar and yet foreign—a common training vehicle that has been equipped with strange modern technology and enlarged more than five times its original size. This Victorian aesthetic is extremely effective at arousing interest and curiosity. Any passer-by who would see a giant solar-powered tricycle would very likely ask the question: why? In our interview with John Tippet, an engineer of eatART, he stated that most of the reactions they receive are along the lines of shock and awe, but that “inquisition is ultimately more fruitful.” Curiosity and interest produce questions, which in turn leads to discussion, then to critical thinking, and—what eatART hopes for—inspiring change.

Though Daisy is effective at drawing attention to a cause through the use of her Victorian aesthetic, we had to argue that this aesthetic also acts as her greatest hindrance. In order to receive the desired effect, Daisy must be transported to places that will generate the greatest interest: eatART takes her to large-scale events such as Burning Man, a showcase of extravagant, artistic creations displayed in the Black Rock Desert, in Nevada; and the Pemberton Music Festival in British Columbia, a weekend-long concert featuring dozens of artists and thousands of spectators. These huge events allow Daisy a significant and fairly diverse audience. To reach the events, however, Daisy herself relies on being transported because of her immense size. This presents her as somewhat impractical. Daisy uses her size to her advantage in that it is her greatest mode of attracting eyes. Her large scale, however, is also her greatest flaw. Though her aesthetic is her best tool, it is also her weakness. Daisy’s sheer size almost negates her ultimate purpose.

"Naturally shock and awe are favoured reactions but inquisition is ultimately more fruitful."
-Engineer John Tippett

Although extravagance is impractical, it is necessary to maintain status. Only those of the highest social class in Victorian England could afford such extravagances—and they took advantage of their wealth to attest to their social rank. Those of wealth filled their homes with brilliantly crafted furniture; knick-knacks occupied every possible crevice; hairstyles and clothing were needlessly ornate. In other words, appearances were everything—they were necessary to produce the appropriate attention from the public. Likewise, Daisy needs her extravagance and impracticality, otherwise she loses her role as a dramatic work of art used to inspire awareness on an important issue. Without Daisy’s particular aesthetic (namely her grand size), she would not be able to attract as much attention as she does. Without the absurdity of a solar-powered tricycle, inquisition would not occur. If Daisy had been a practical, solar-powered vehicle—say a car—she would lose her influence for then she would lack originality and uniqueness. Like the wealthy class of Victorians, Daisy needs her appearance to remain as such in order to maintain the positions she currently possesses.

Furthermore, without this particular aesthetic, she also loses her status as Steampunk. Strangely enough, in our interviews, most of the engineers stated that they did not feel Daisy had taken anything from the Victorian period. To our understanding, Steampunk is the collision of the old with the new—the past with the present and future. This is achieved by Daisy aesthetically through the design of her wheels and her carriage—the old—mixed with the design of the solar panels and the sails—the new. Technologically, she combines a simple, training vehicle that requires only man-power, with the use of solar energy. The notion of Steampunk is often misconstrued as strictly aesthetic or technologically dependent. If something “looks” both Victorian and modern, then it is Steampunk; or if something mixes primitive technology with sophisticated, then it must be Steampunk. Although this is true for Daisy—although she satisfies the aesthetic and technological requirements of Steampunk—it is her embodiment of the philosophy that earns her the status. To be Steampunk, something must combine past ideas with present and/or futuristic innovation. If Daisy were a solar-powered car, she would be a modern improvement of modern technology not a blend of old and new. Daisy materializes this concept perfectly.

"We feel art is a great way to reach people and trigger and deeper though process. Hopefully this thought process will lead to other ideas and at least de-mystify so-called alternative energy systems. Surely if electricity can power a giant tricycle, it can do something a bit more practical."

-Engineer Rob Cunningham

Diesel-Punk: The Technology

"I don’t think we’ve taken anything “deliberately”—but a great deal of technological progress was made during that era; almost everything that moves today owes something to Victorian engineers."

-Rob Cunningham

What ties Daisy so closely to the steam-punk aesthetic, as well as the industrial revolution, are her technological advancements. The message of environmental awareness through alternate energy makes a huge statement about current energy consumption, but is also one of the strongest ties to the industrial revolution.
In a very similar manner to the Victorian era, our modern world is currently undergoing a massive change. The 19th Century faced a revolution that mechanized the world, while the 21st Century is currently experiencing an environmental revolution. Like the Victorians, modern society is changing and evolving almost every aspect of it’s world. The Victorians made their world automatic and mechanical while the modern world is fixated with making everything environmentally friendly. The Daisy tricycle is a perfect example of this modern environmental movement.

"Awareness. Our first mandate is to educate. From there innovation and solutions can grow. Why? Because we’re all ****ed if we don’t change."
-John Tippett

Daisy works on multiple levels, as a symbol of energy awareness, a cultural keystone of our changing world, and an analogy to technological progression. The very nature of it’s technology is steam-punk by design. Although it may not look like a typical steam-punk piece of art, clad in iron or bronze, it is the modernization of old technology that gives it a steam-punk element. Similarly to how a steam-punk artist would turn his modern computer to look like a 19th Century machine, the engineers at eatART have taken a quintessential historic design and incorporated modern technology. It is this idea of change and development that connects the Daisy tricycle to not only steam-punk but also the industrial revolution of 19th Century England.

Gathering Steam: Neo-Victorian Aesthetics

"Art rarely requires practical reasoning."

-Rob Cunningham

The Daisy tricycle is a Neo-Victorian symbol in more than one way. Although the basic design of the Daisy tricycle can be interpreted as having Victorian influence, it is the combination of technological progression, alongside the extreme size and aesthetic that makes the Daisy tricycle an exceptionally Neo-Victorian icon. The enormous tricycle combines two very powerful ideologies from the Victorian era, the mechanical practicality of the industrial revolution with the extravagance of Victorian upper class.
During the 19th century Victorian England underwent an industrial revolution. Technological advancement and progression became a Victorian ideal as the world became more mechanized. People appreciated productivity and efficiency in the workplace as well as in daily life. At the same time, the upper class Victorian population lived a very lavished and extravagant life. Household objects like furniture and clothes were lavishly embroidered and decorated in excess. It is the combination of these two principles that makes the Daisy tricycle successful in spreading its message of energy awareness through art and inspiration.

"Aesthetically, we seem to have attracted artists with a style that harkens back to the days of simple machinery."
- Engineer Leigh Christie

It is the technological and mechanical aspects of Daisy that harkens back to the industrial revolution. Much like the advancements made during the 19th century, a majority of the technology used on Daisy is still quite modern. Solar powered locomotion is a very forward-thinking idea; and creating a giant tricycle powered by the sun definitely is somewhat foreign. This has clear ties to the mechanical expansion of the Victorian era. Most of the technology developed during this time was quite new and extremely forward in thinking. The efficiency of the technology used on the Daisy is also similar to the ideals of the industrial revolution. Daisy is designed to keep energy consumption low, while being as efficient as possible.
In the same way that the 19th century industrial revolution is juxtaposed against the elegance of the upper class Victorians, the Daisy tricycle’s technological and mechanical functions are juxtaposed against its extravagant and extreme design. Upper class Victorian society was enamored by the luxurious and excessive. What makes the Daisy tricycle extremely effective as a medium to generate discussion about energy awareness is its radical size and look. Through its extravagance it is able to gain attention and spark conversation. It is this relationship between these two concepts that makes the Daisy tricycle such an effective Neo-Victorian symbol.

"This looks so much like engineering that people constantly ask what it’s for, and which point I take particular pleasure in telling them, 'It’s art. Aside from thrilling and inspiring people, it’s useless.'"

-John Tippett

eatART on the World Stage

"As a global society, our energy situation is dire. "

- Charlie Brinson

According to the team at eatART, Daisy has a simple design, has a simple energy source, a friendly feel, and a gracefulness to it. All of this may be true and according to Charlie Brinson, a member of eatART, “solar electric power is pretty simple really.” Solar power is not a new concept but the means by which humans have been able to harness, and use it, has evolved immensely over the years, leading to this notion of “simpleness.” Perhaps the team at eatART views what they are doing as an awareness program for the environment, but it is possible to view and compare what they have accomplished thus far to that of the Victorians and the British empire as a whole.
The British empire was one of the greatest and strongest empires the world had ever known. It had always prided itself on its navy, and later on its rapid industrialization. One could argue that Britain was on the leading edge of technological advances during its reign, a luxury that many wealthy Victorians exploited by amusing themselves with complex, intricate, and often useless devices. One could argue that Daisy is Victorian-like in its impracticality and almost steampunk in design. John Tippett, another member of eatART, reiterated this notion when he mentioned in our interview, “It’s [Daisy] art. Aside from thrilling and inspiring people, it’s useless.” Aside from the fact that Daisy is primarily designed to thrill, inspire, and educate, one can look farther and compare it to the Victorians and how they were on the leading-edge of science and technology at the time.

"We will be a mecca for radical, technically innovative art, challenging not only the status quo on energy ignorance, but pushing the very boundaries of what people considered art and what they think it’s value is in society."
-John Tippett


The eatART team and their Daisy creation can be seen as representative of how this generation is advancing in science and technology by using innovative ideas. However, the advancements that have been made are owed in part to the Victorian engineers. Another eatART member, Rob Cunningham, said that they had not “taken anything deliberately–but a great deal of technological progress was made during that era and almost anything that moves today owes something to Victorian engineers.” Daisy does not only represent progress of this generation, but shows that Canadian engineering and innovation is among the leaders of the world. Much like how the British or Victorians were constantly trying to invent new devices, Canadians and other nations worldwide have joined in the pursuit of creating their own “Daisy” so-to-speak. One example of how innovation and technology has become a global phenomenon is the World Solar Challenge. This event is a biannual solar-powered car race comprising of teams from universities and enterprises from all over the world who compete over 3,021 kilometers across Australia. It is events like this, as well as events such as Burning Man, where 21st century innovation is showcased and where competition to be among the best is powered.
The eatART team has allowed us to examine and probe one of their prominent technological innovations, which in turn has given us the opportunity to explore our own ideas of how the Victorians are still influencing how humans today try to conjure up new methods that will allow our society to advance and improve upon itself for the future. The drive and determination that the Victorians embodied in their own pursuit of similar advancements is being shown by people of our own generation by the creation of machines such as Daisy. The influence from those Victorian engineers has carried over to the present generation of engineers and scientists, and along with that influence, there has emerged a growing competition for who can create the best or most innovative machine or design. From the perspective of the eatART team, this competition helps to educate people about energy and our environment, but from our perspective, we have been given the unique opportunity to explore the depths of Victorian technology and innovation and the influence it has had on our own generation.

"All this potential and yet we’re at risk of becoming extinct within the next few hundred years due to our own foolishness. What better way to bring people hope for a better future than art? Technology can only do so much. "

-Leigh Christie