Kinetic Art Installation
Mechatronic system designed produced for artist Terry Berlier.
August 2018
I was fortunate enough to work with the brilliant Terry Berlier, an artist in residence at Stanford, who specializes in kinetic art and sculpture. She had an idea for a kinetic piece in which shoes would be raised up slowly by a clear fishing line, and then after a random interval, be released and drop into freefall. To quote Terry’s website:
“Berlier’s installation uses a common American saying “waiting for the other shoe to drop” (referring to a sense of impending doom) as her departure point. Gestures between silence, waiting, and collapse suggest the tension between stasis and engagement. The illusion of progress which lulls us to complacency is interrupted by dissonance and a clearer call to action.”
I actuated the lift and release mechanisms using solenoids and stepper motors. When the motor needed to pull up the shoe, a solenoid would engage the pulley into the motor, engaging a gear. When it was time for freefall, the solenoid would withdraw, and the pull would spin freely, allowing the shoe to drop. I also built a control box for the system, allowing 5 shoes to be independently driven.
The project was exhibited at the Contemporary Art and Spirits gallery in Osaka, Japan in November of 2018. More information about the project, including more photos and video, are available at Terry Berlier’s website, linked here: Tinkering Towards Utopia.
