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Joshua Kirsch

Check out the amazingness that is Joshua Kirsch, whose kinetic sculptures are interactive and mind-boggling. Be sure to watch the accompanying videos for each piece.

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“Sympathetic Resonance”
2009 dimensions vary african padauk, birch veneer plywood, aluminum, yarn mallets, rotary solenoids, brass, wires, magnets, boot lace, electronic components
Sympathetic Resonance is an interactive musical instrument sculpture that utilizes the keys of a marimba (a mallet-percussion instrument of african origin) to create four and a half playable octaves. The sculpture consists of 56 “units,” each containing a different note, as well as a yarn-wound mallet affixed to a rotary solenoid which allows the note to be triggered by a touch-sensitive aluminum keyboard played by the viewer. The sculpture’s modular design allows it to completely change configuration from installation to installation. Each unit can be either mounted or placed on the floor or mounted to a wall, and can be connected to the keyboard with a wire of any length.

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Watch the video: http://vimeo.com/6887898

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“Oculus”
2008 84″ x 84″ x 30″ aluminum, hardened steel, stainless steel, nylon.
Oculus features 18 leg-like structures that are connected to a central hub with universal joints, and fed through bearings that can pivot in any direction. The viewer grasps the two handles mounted on the central hub and articulates them in any direction, causing the 18 legs to synchronously shift and twist in different directions. This gives the sculpture an animated spider-like appearance.

Watch the video: http://vimeo.com/6888028

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“Concentricity 80”
2008 36″ x 54″ x 32″ aluminum, acrylic, stainless steel, magnet, electronic components
Concentricity is an interactive light sculpture series. Each of the three works presents an illuminated white handle which the viewer is invited to move in any direction. Reed switches located within the sculpture’s circuitry sense the movements of a magnet contained in the handle and translate that information into LED light. Concentricity 80’s display consists of 80 blue/white LED arrays that are visible from both the front and back of the sculpture.

Watch the video: http://vimeo.com/6888113

Jaime Derringer, Founder + Executive Editor of Design Milk, is a Jersey girl living in SoCal. She dreams about funky, artistic jewelry + having enough free time to enjoy some of her favorite things—running, reading, making music, and drawing.