Clock or Sculpture? Both!

People occasionally ask David if his sculptures tell time. They don't but there are many who do make clocks and some even make clocks that qualify as kinetic sculpture. Here is a beautiful example by Sander Mulder, a designer from the Netherlands.

This finally crafted functional object would be a kinetic sculpture on the wall as the hands continuously dance in changing patterns. The telling of time would be neither analog or digital but sculptural. The mechanical elements are beautiful as well. 

This clock is being created in a limited edition of 40 plus 1 artist's proof.

For those that want a kinetic kit

David doesn't make kits or plans for his sculptures and I understand why.  The fine-tuning phase that goes into to every design is something that can't be put into a kit. And we encourage creativity in others. But for those that enjoy creating from kits, I just found out about one for a mini Theo Jansen wind-powered walking machine from Dug North on the Automata Blog. 

According to the blog Three Steps Over Japan Gakken released this kit to coincide with an exhibit on Theo Jansen at the Tokyo Mirakan in Japan. You can try to order the kit from Gakken's online store. I haven't found an english version yet.

David recently received a tip from a visiting collector about a book written by Theo Jansen about his magnificent kinetic work. The book,  Theo Jansen: The Great Pretender is available from Amazon although it is rare and you do need to wait for it.  We waited well over a month for David's copy. We were told it would be 3 months but did indeed show up much sooner.  He is currently reading it and finding it fascinating.  The book includes a dvd filled with additional information, interviews and descriptions by Jansen on the process of making his roaming beasts.

I have always listed Theo Jansen in my artist's links but for those that aren't familar with his work here is a very often watched YouTube video of his beasts in motion.

Enjoy!

Gears Go Natural • Kinetic Cogs

Introduction Cognition......

It has been a long time since a new sculpture introduction, not because David hasn't been designing but because the snow has completely interfered with schedules. We have finally gotten all of the assorted videos and information details completed for David to introduce Cognition. It has been on display at his studio/gallery and getting excited reviews.

David designed this piece to emphasize a fascination with the visual impact of gears. The approach and goal were very mechanical. Interestingly, as the design unfolded he was struck by how organic this very mechanical piece became. It looked less like a machine a more like something from nature. There is more information and videos on the Cognition page at his website.  Enter your impressions by clicking on "Comments" below.

Gears Again • Very Kinetic

This mesmerizing machine appeared on Dug North's Automata website this week.  

It is noisy but the artist, Ronald Walters intended for it to be so. He has several interesting videos at his YouTube sight, all doing interesting things with wooden gears. He is right in that people love watching meshing gears.

Silver Song Symphony

The snow has clearly impacted David's work schedule but he "commutes" on snowshoes and things are getting done. This video is proof. This past weekend he had his first major production run of Silver Song kinetic sculptures all testing at once. It is evidence as to how beautifully these chimes are tuned. The sound is pleasing even with many chiming at once. We are busy packing and shipping today.