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COVER STORY First Night 2000: A sampler Power of the people     MORE INFORMATION "Star Wheel" will roll in the Grand Procession, which takes off on Boylston Street in front of the Hynes Friday at 5 p.m. It ends at the Boston Common Parade Grounds. "Star Wheel" Mild-mannered Mitch Ryerson makes furniture. But he has a secret identity: Star Wheel Man. Ryerson has created "Star Wheel," a giant, rolling sculpture powered by two people walking inside it. It's 16 feet tall, and the two wheels are 8 feet in diameter. You'll see it in the Grand Procession on Friday evening. "The two wheels can turn independently, so it can do little tricks," Ryerson says. The sculpture sports constellations of stars on the sides. Above it, scrolls unfurl in the shape of a wave; a human figure, reaching for the stars, tops the whole thing off. Ryerson is matter-of-fact about his magical creation. "I like machines. I like moving things. It's just a huge toy," he says. "It could be something trundled out of the 15th century." The toy, and other public projects like carving chairs out of tree stumps in Cambridge, are opportunities for the furniture maker to cut loose. "It's a fun contrast to furniture, which is so private, so controlled and compulsive," he says. "It's nice to do a big, whacked-out blowout of energy." Still, there are similarities between furniture and mystical, magical sculpture. "The sculpture is interactive, like furniture. It's something that people operate," Ryerson says. The mechanics of the "Star Wheel" intrigued him. "With this kind of engineering, you can visually understand balance and gears and how they work. I like playing with those forces." - Cate McQuaid Previous page | Next page

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