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VOLLIS
SIMPSON'S WHIRLIGIG FARM
Vollis
is the real reason I applied to the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It's only
two hours from Lucama, where Vollis lives.
I had wanted to meet him since 1998 or so,
when I found out about his yard full of
giant whirligigs (I did not know he also
has a few shacks of smaller ones as well).
All of these massive whirligigs have several
moving parts that spin with the wind and
100s of reflectors that light up at night
when you shine your car lights on them.
It looks like Disneyland, but without the
price-gauging, corporate whorehouse aesthetic.
Vollis's whirligigs grace the front lawns
of the North
Carolina Museum of Art and the American
Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore,
MD. I finally got to go to Lucama on January
15, 2002, after my grad school interview
-- I rented a car in Chapel Hill, took the
maps
of Lucama and its environs that
I printed out back in California, and drove
out amongst the cows and silos. His address
and phone were listed on Yahoo!, if you
can believe that. After finding his house,
thinking I was lost (his whirligigs are
on his farm a few minutes away), calling
his wife and getting directions, I found
the place. I spent about two hours with
him and his three adorable dogs (maybe I'll
scan them and put them up later). These
photos below don't come close to what's
on this
site, or even this
one, but I hope you enjoy your visit.
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This
is the whirligig farm from across
the street. They are enclosed
by a fence (due to vandals - whipper
snappers!), and a stream splits
the giant yard in two. |
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This
is what you see when you drive up
the road -- Wiggins Mill, I believe.
That tool shed is where I found
Vollis and his dogs. It is also
filled with smaller whirligigs (seen
below). |
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This
is what is in Vollis' workshed --
tons of smaller whirligigs he does
for visitors and friends. You may
buy one if you like, something I
plan to do when I go back to NC. |
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A
bit closer to the yard, you can
see some details. |
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Lets
follow Vollis in. |
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Closer
still. |
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Here's
a close-up of one whose parts spin
sideways instead of up and down.
It's made with tons of cups. |
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Here
are several planes, located on the
far side of the stream. You have
to enter through the other side
to get to them. |
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This
is a close-up of the blue cone seen
from afar in the first photos. |
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