By the many possibilities of fabrication methods, there’s one quality that describes most of the final product: static. The puzzle-like joints, the layering of materials, etc. leads to a still-standing, or possibly, hanging sculpted goods. What we are trying to do here is to expand the vocabulary. The first thing that comes to mind is: a kinetic sculpture. We want to engage people to experience the mechanism. Our approach when we decided to make kinetic art would be to make some simple rotating wheel while keeping the concept of “mandala” in mind.

Mandala is a diagram or pattern that represents the microcosm of the universe. Mandala was originally made by monks using sand to make gorgeous, intricate pattern. After the mandala has been done, it is wiped away immediately. While it itself is a beautiful allegory to life in general, we also want that instantaneous quality to be present in our work.

This sculpture gives us a sense of hypnotic tranquility, as the blades and gears movement can be perceived as “moving pattern”. As the blades gracefully collide and drift apart, a visual illusion can be perceived, a momentary presence of pattern that just capture our sensory in an instant.

The method of fabrication used here is mostly layering, using laser-cut 3 mm plywood sheets for the blade and gears, and 12 mm plywood sheets for the main core. We used glue, and nuts and bolts to build the parts. Ball-bearings are fixed up on the blades and gears, and finally, every part is put onto steel axles in the axis

Cthulhu is wooden kinetic sculpture, consisting of blades and gears connected with belts and springs, and fixed on a standing core. The blades and gears would rotate in certain directions, and that can be triggered by giving force on one of the wheels. The rotation is constant, as the spring would hold the forces and bounce the blade back to spin in different direction. This can be achieved also by the help of escapement system on the blade that works like a stopper to force the blade to rotate to another direction.