There’s a Wizard on Bartlett Street

You may have seen the mirrors catching the afternoon sunlight on the sidewalk. You may know him from his late-night scooter rides around the Mission. Or you might have passed by the curious planet-like sculpture hanging  in front of his house. Colin Bowring, a graphics software instructor with a passion for science and rainbows, is known in his neighborhood as “the Wizard.”

The Art Science Workshop, with its fantastical light-reflecting and -refracting contraptions, was once confined to his cluttered bedroom. Since the mirrors and gyroscopes have spilled over into the garage, Bowring has also been exhibiting his whirring, flashing creations at events like the Maker Faire and an upcoming installation in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Ballroom. But for those lucky enough to be invited inside, the Workshop still puts on quite a show when the sun illuminates the fish-tank prism on the Wizard’s stoop.