2022

stainless steel, bicycle tires, fiberglass Eames chair, 3D printed bird skull

26.5” H x 49” W x 90” D

Available

“Ground Looper” was built in the spring of 2022 by HibmaCronan for SFMOMA’s Artist Soapbox Derby. HibmaCronan thinks of the piece is a fully realized, three-dimensional line-work sketch, which was designed to be as lightweight and raw as possible. Its structure consists of a triangulated space frame made entirely of 1/4” stainless steel bar, built around a vintage 1950s Herman Miller fiberglass Eames chair. The vehicle rolls on three 700c 3-spoked aluminum bicycle wheels and, in true soapbox derby form, is powered solely by gravity. The rider sits reclined and low to the ground, steering with foot pedals and braking using dedicated left and right hand brakes. With a single rear-wheel steering system, it demands total concentration to operate—an experience that inspired its name.

A “ground loop” refers to a phenomenon sometimes encountered by small aircraft with similar wheel configurations: a sudden, uncontrolled spin on the ground, typically during takeoff, landing, or taxiing. In the case of “Ground Looper”, initiating a turn at too high a speed causes the two fixed, angled front wheels to act as a pivot point, resulting in a looping skid driven by lateral momentum.

The 2022 event was the third time in 47 years that the Artist Soapbox Derby had taken place—the first two being in 1975 and 1978, also at San Francisco’s John McLaren Park. With much anticipation, thousands of spectators gathered to witness the return of this storied and imaginative competition.

HibmaCronan first learned about the earlier derbies while studying Sculpture and Furniture at California College of the Arts, which served as important early influences to his work. In many ways, “Ground Looper” stands as an homage to the three-wheeled derby vehicles built by Don Potts, Ron Covell, and HibmaCronan’s longtime artistic hero, Michael Cooper.

HibmaCronan’s own sculptural practice—rooted in a love for car culture, furniture design, and thoughtful fabrication—has evolved into a body of vehicle sculptures that explore play, movement, mechanical inquiry, and the possibilities of public interaction.

On race day—April 10th, 2022—HibmaCronan arrived, only to be greeted by Michael Cooper himself, who was there to support Covell’s reentry of his 1978 vehicle. For HibmaCronan, presenting Ground Looper alongside the artists who inspired his path was a full-circle moment and a true honor.