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Description
This was a project for the introduction to sculpture class. We were given reed and balsa sticks and were to make an abstract sculpture to hang from the ceiling. We could paint the materials if we wished, but I preferred the natural color of the materials.

I did a significant amount of divergent sketches to explore different ways of storing and transferring motion before I settled on my components. I knew I wanted something that would keep moving in an interesting way long after the viewer had touched it. My first model, in foamcore, was a frame like that in the center of the finished piece, with several pendulums hanging from it in a chain, each smaller than the one above. After seeing the akward way the pendulums moved I settled on twisting string as the best option for storing the motion.

The final form of the encolsure was inspired by a scrap of reed someone had knotted and tossed aside. I built the central frame from wood and reed and fixed a sunglasses lens in the center to cast colored light, then I accented the frame with inward-pointing pins at the four lateral corners. This frame was encircled by another of reed rings (I soaked them until flexible, then fixed their form with glue and staples). The central frame hangs inside the spherical frame by a loop of string. This was suspended from a wooden bar by two separate strings, and the bar hangs from the topmost arm by a single point. The outermost armature is anchored at its center of gravity and counterweighted and offset to keep it still.

The upshot of all this structure is the sequence of motions it allows. When the viewer spins the round frame it winds the two strings it hangs from together. Once its lost momentum, the outer frame starts unwinding with the inner frame still spinning the opposite direction. The outer frame picks up speed until the two strings unwind from each other causing the bar to turn back and forth and the two frames to spin back and forth in opposite directions. This sequence continues for about 30 seconds.

I'm very happy with how this sculpture turned out. Even though I made most of the decisions on the basis of function, it led to pretty elegent, streamlined abstract form.

/ / / / / / / /
Balsa, reed, string, plastic, metal fasteners and weights
~20" across by 24" tall
Intro to Sculpture: Kacey Dunaway
Junior osu. Winter 2007

Description
This was a project for the introduction to sculpture class. We were given reed and balsa sticks and were to make an abstract sculpture to hang from the ceiling. We could paint the materials if we wished, but I preferred the natural color of the materials.

I did a significant amount of divergent sketches to explore different ways of storing and transferring motion before I settled on my components. I knew I wanted something that would keep moving in an interesting way long after the viewer had touched it. My first model, in foamcore, was a frame like that in the center of the finished piece, with several pendulums hanging from it in a chain, each smaller than the one above. After seeing the akward way the pendulums moved I settled on twisting string as the best option for storing the motion.

The final form of the encolsure was inspired by a scrap of reed someone had knotted and tossed aside. I built the central frame from wood and reed and fixed a sunglasses lens in the center to cast colored light, then I accented the frame with inward-pointing pins at the four lateral corners. This frame was encircled by another of reed rings (I soaked them until flexible, then fixed their form with glue and staples). The central frame hangs inside the spherical frame by a loop of string. This was suspended from a wooden bar by two separate strings, and the bar hangs from the topmost arm by a single point. The outermost armature is anchored at its center of gravity and counterweighted and offset to keep it still.

The upshot of all this structure is the sequence of motions it allows. When the viewer spins the round frame it winds the two strings it hangs from together. Once its lost momentum, the outer frame starts unwinding with the inner frame still spinning the opposite direction. The outer frame picks up speed until the two strings unwind from each other causing the bar to turn back and forth and the two frames to spin back and forth in opposite directions. This sequence continues for about 30 seconds.

I'm very happy with how this sculpture turned out. Even though I made most of the decisions on the basis of function, it led to pretty elegent, streamlined abstract form.

/ / / / / / / /
Balsa, reed, string, plastic, metal fasteners and weights
~20" across by 24" tall
Intro to Sculpture: Kacey Dunaway
Junior osu. Winter 2007