
“Staten Island Steel”. Photo by Scott Van Campen

Hi! I’m Kevin Mahoney of Robots Will Kill. I’m an Artist, and I grew up in Staten Island, NY.
I’m also a member of the SI MakerSpace, where I’ve setup my studio, take classes on metal working, and generally spend all the free time I have learning and creating in a large space with curious and talented people. During a recent class on plasma-cutting, our teacher Scott Van Campen (pictured with me below, that same day) mentioned that they had some steel in the shop that was rusted from Hurricane Sandy, and we would be practicing on it because it had degraded to the point where it would be unusable for him in his everyday work. Before they created the MakerSpace, this location was only home to Scott’s current metal fabrication business and the studio where he and his wife, DB Lampman, made/continue to make some amazing Art.
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Of course the street-art kid just wants to zap his name on everything 🙂
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The raw material.
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Work gloves and the Island outlined on the material.
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A single outline before being posted/mounted in the shadow box.
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First one finished!
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Last Piece Finished!
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Plasma cutting 2!!! Photo by Scott Van Campen
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Plasma cutting!!! Photo by Scott Van Campen
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“Staten Island Steel”. Photo by Mike Shane
Unfortunately I could picture it, having witnessed similar damage to the homes of my family and friends. Shortly after the storm hit- the spot where I was standing had been submerged in several feet of rushing water, destroying valuable equipment and materials. Devastating.
They not only salvaged what they could in the shop, but set the wheels in motion to expand into an adjoining space, building a hub for Artist studios and events, performances and meetings as an incubator for small businesses based around the premise of individual industry, creativity and ingenuity.
It’s in this spirit that I came upon the idea to create this series of pieces. Titled: “Staten Island Steel“, they are small outlines of the Island, cut from previously worthless sheets of rusted steel, constructed using the skills that I first learned and fostered here. Each one unique, mounted in a 5″ x 7” signed/numbered shadow box. Most pieces display the natural rust from the storm damage, but I’m including several boxes in the series that have been treated with a copper finish and/or heat-treated to bring out some incredible colors in the steel! Half of all profits are being donated back into the SI MakerSpace, to support new build-outs, programming, or the purchase of new materials.
There is a PayPal link at the bottom of this page, where you can order your own limited-edition piece of SI pride.
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“Staten Island Steel” – Photo by Mike Shane Photography
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Each piece comes signed and numbered.
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Black Shadow Box
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Brown Shadow Box
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Some pieces have a copper finish.
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The pieces have various degrees of rust damage. Pieces without obvious rust, get heat-treated to bring out colors in the steel.
The selling price is $65, plus $5 shipping for anywhere in the United States. For international orders, to order more than one piece, or if you have any questions – please email me.
Thank you,
`kevRWK
