Press kit

Writing about SOOK, or putting her next to your logo? Here are the facts, the logo files, the colours and the pictures, ready to use.

Download press kit .zip, 6.8 MB [email protected]

Fact sheet

SOOK is a human-powered, amphibious blue crab: a kinetic sculpture that four people pedal through Baltimore's streets, down a boat ramp into the harbour and through a sand pit, changing colour as she goes.

"Sook" is Chesapeake Bay slang for a mature female blue crab.

The story

SOOK started at the 2026 Halloween parade in Canton, when one of us said she'd love to be in a parade one day. The next day, a chat with Claude (an AI assistant) about Maryland parades turned up AVAM's Kinetic Sculpture Race, and a family said yes to a giant crab. The engineering and software are designed with Claude: the 3D model, the stress checks, a simulator of the whole course and the race-day show software. AI pilots running on Jev helped work out the pacing in the simulator. The concept art, SOOK's voice and her songs are AI-made too. But every decision and every real mile is people: four pilots pedalling, and a crew of neighbours and kids building her.

The team

A family and friends in the Baltimore area, building on weekends in a home garage. Kids are part of it, from the paint crew to the cheering section.

Captain and press contact: Josh. The rest of the crew is named by role (chief builder, art lead, pilots, pit crew) as people join; more join at a kickoff party in November 2026.

Sponsors cover the cost, so it is free for every family that joins.

Meet the crew

How we use AI

AI-forward, human-built.

SOOK isn't built yet. Every picture of her so far is an AI concept render, not a photo. Real build photos will be marked "Real photo".

AI helps with almost everything we make: the concept art (Gemini, "Nano Banana"), 3D scans of the art (Meshy), SOOK's voice and her songs (ElevenLabs), and a lot of the writing, engineering and software (Claude).

People make every decision, direct the art, weld and build her, and pedal her on May 1, 2027.

Please keep "AI concept render" in the caption or credit of any concept image you use. Never present one as a photo.

The whole story: how we make SOOK →

Event
The Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race, run by the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM)
Race day
Saturday, May 1, 2027
2027 theme
TRUE COLORS
Pilots
4, sitting in pairs under the shell
Drive motors
0. Pedals only. Small battery motors only animate the art.
Course
About 15 miles of streets, cobbles and hills (AVAM's figure)
Splashdown
1, down the Canton boat ramp into Baltimore harbour
Then
A sand pit and mud in Patterson Park, and back to the museum
The show
3 acts of colour: blue, steamed orange, rainbow
Weight
About a ton, before anyone climbs on
Practice
500 virtual races in a simulator before a single part was cut
After the race
Designs, build guides and race software go open source

Boilerplate

SOOK in a sentence, a paragraph or a short bio. Use any of them as is.

25 words
SOOK is a pedal-powered blue crab that swims. A Baltimore family and friends are building her for AVAM's Kinetic Sculpture Race on May 1, 2027.
50 words
SOOK is a giant, human-powered blue crab. Four pilots will pedal her through Baltimore, down a boat ramp into the harbour and through a sand pit in AVAM's Kinetic Sculpture Race on May 1, 2027, changing colour as she goes. A family and friends, kids included, build her on weekends.
100 words
SOOK is a giant, human-powered blue crab built for the American Visionary Art Museum's Kinetic Sculpture Race in Baltimore on May 1, 2027. Four pilots pedal her about 15 miles through the city, down the Canton boat ramp into the harbour and through a sand pit, with no motors driving her. For the 2027 theme, TRUE COLORS, she changes from blue to steamed orange to rainbow. A family and friends build her on weekends, with the kids on the paint crew. The team is AI-forward and human-built: the concept art and engineering use AI, but every mile is people. sookthecrab.com

Also as files: fact sheet (.md) boilerplate (.txt)

Logos

A shield badge, a wordmark, a round badge, our mascot and a crab icon in three colours. The files are outlined, so they need no fonts, and each one has its clear space built in. PNGs are see-through, at 512, 1024 and 2048 pixels wide.

Using the logo

  • Give the logo room. The files already include clear space; keep at least that much free around them.
  • Use the full-colour files on white or navy, and the one-colour navy or white files for one-ink printing.
  • Use the badges and the wordmark as they are. The mascot and the crab icon can stand on their own.
  • Credit concept art as "AI concept render, directed by Team SOOK". Never call it a photo.
  • Don't stretch, squash, tilt or redraw the logos.
  • Don't recolour them. Use the colour files, or the one-colour navy or white ones.
  • Don't put the logo next to real brands or other teams' marks, except a sponsor's own "Proud sponsor" lockup.
  • Don't use photos of kids, or their names, without their family's OK. Ask us first.

Pictures

There are no real photos yet: every picture of SOOK here is an AI concept render, and the kit files carry a small "AI concept render" tag. Real build photos will be marked "Real photo". Ask us for anything you need in the meantime. Please keep the credit line with each picture.

  • AI concept render of SOOK, a giant blue crab sculpture pedalled by four people on the Baltimore waterfrontAI concept rendernot a photo

    Act I: the blue crab

    SOOK as planned: four pilots pedal under a giant blue crab on the Baltimore waterfront. AI concept render: she is not built yet.

    AI concept render (Gemini), directed by Team SOOK. Not a photo.

    Web, 1400 px, 233 KB High-res, 2752 px, 810 KB

  • AI concept render of SOOK's shell glowing steamed orangeAI concept rendernot a photo

    Act II: steamed

    Act II of her colour show: SOOK turns steamed orange. AI concept render: she is not built yet.

    AI concept render (Gemini), directed by Team SOOK. Not a photo.

    Web, 1400 px, 234 KB High-res, 2752 px, 789 KB

  • AI concept render of SOOK's shell in rainbow coloursAI concept rendernot a photo

    Act III: true colours

    Act III, for the TRUE COLORS theme: SOOK goes rainbow. AI concept render: she is not built yet.

    AI concept render (Gemini), directed by Team SOOK. Not a photo.

    Web, 1400 px, 237 KB High-res, 2752 px, 810 KB

  • AI concept render of SOOK splashing down a boat ramp into Baltimore harbourAI concept rendernot a photo

    The splashdown

    The plan for the Canton boat ramp: down the ramp and into the harbour. AI concept render: she is not built yet.

    AI concept render (Gemini), directed by Team SOOK. Not a photo.

    Web, 1400 px, 246 KB High-res, 2752 px, 977 KB

  • 3D model render: a 3D computer model of SOOK's chassis: four big drum wheels, four seats and the drive parts3D model rendercomputer model

    The chassis in CAD

    The chassis as a 3D model, drawn before anything is cut. A work in progress: details will change.

    CAD render: Team SOOK

    Web, 1400 px, 124 KB Largest size we have

  • Screenshot: a 3D aerial map of Baltimore with the race route drawn in orange and purple around the harbourScreenshotour software

    The course simulator

    The whole race route in our course simulator, traced from the 2026 map. The 2027 route may differ.

    Course simulator: Team SOOK. Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP. Buildings: © OpenStreetMap contributors

    Web, 1400 px, 196 KB Largest size we have

Say hello

Press and interviews
[email protected]Josh, captain
Sponsorship
[email protected]Sponsor packages
Social
@sookthecrabInstagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Bluesky (@sookthecrab.com). Accounts are being set up now. Links go live here as each one opens.

SOOK is a team entry in AVAM's Kinetic Sculpture Race and is not affiliated with the American Visionary Art Museum. Kit updated October 28, 2026.