Kindala - Celebration

• Limited Edition of 3

• Size: 32” w x 47” h x 6” d

• Approximate Run Time: 25 Hours

• Price: $4500.00 - opening bid - USA only

• Kindala-Celebration © 2021

• Edition Sold Out

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About Kindal-Celebration

The Kindala concept which has been explored in a number other designs has been re-visited in this sculpture. The mesmerizing  slow unfolding of intricate circular designs continues to fascinate me. This is the most complex Kindala pattern set I have attempted. The pattern reminds me of starburst fireworks. Hence the name Celebration. 

I use the same base and drive system in both of my long running introductions in the 2021 design period. I like it because it is a step away from the designs like Duality based on pattern wheel only but has the long run time and easy wind that I like to live with. Celebration wins the run time award in the 2021 designs coming in a couple of hours longer running than Boomerang. The Kindala type of motion requires less energy so runs longer. 

Why Kindala?

Kindala is a made up word I created by combining Mandala and kinetic. I thought this series needed a distinctive moniker. Every design has a circular design like a mandala and they all move but each has visual distinctions in the wheel design or power structure.

Vice Versa

Limited Edition of 95

• Size: 34” w x 34” h x 6” d

• Approximate Run Time: 6.5 Hours

• Price: $3900.00 - opening bid - USA only

• Vice Versa © 2021

• To Purchase

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About Vice Versa

It often happens that one sculpture starts the idea for another. This is especially true at this late stage of my career where I have explored and given up on many ideas. In 2016 I explored a new concept in a one-of-a-kind sculpture called Blink. I explored what would happen if I reversed the normal order of fans in a patterning wheel and had them point in opposite directions. Of course this created a significantly off-balanced wheel but I compensated using a large outside frame ring that varied in width. This was a difficult sculpture to make because even with the outside ring, balance was still hard to achieve. I did enjoy the “blink” effect and the varied patterns but thought it too challenging to produce in an edition. 

These are the types of challenges I’ve been enjoying revisiting now that I’m “retired”. Last year I decided to explore whether this really was an impossible wheel to balance. Using my ancient copy of Working Model software along with my favorite drawing program Illustrator and a spreadsheet I ran numerous simulations looking for a design with the center of mass at the center of the wheel. I played with the number of spokes, their thickness and their angle relative to each other. Eventually I found a design that I thought would work both visually and dynamically. I tested the patterning by generating an animation of the design in motion. Of course the real test was to actually make the design. My first attempt wasn’t quite right. It was still too off balance. I tweaked the design and refined my center of mass calculation to more precisely locate the exact point. The second attempt worked as I had hoped. 

I love the mix of 3 different patterns during each rotation. Half of the pattern shows as collapsing fans while the opposite half is expanding. Just as that becomes recognizable everything is wiped away in a blink pattern. The constantly shifting rotation rates combined with this pattern creates a piece I find hard to stop watching. 

Fraud Warning:

Apparently there is a concern out of China that is currently putting up fake websites, instagram, tiktok and facebook posts offering David’s designs for $39- $59. All have stolen videos and images from our website and David’s IP. No one has been given permission or been licensed to use these designs or images. If you purchase, some sites steal data while others ship you wood scraps. None ship kinetic sculptures. A number of kinetic artists are experiencing this. The “companies” dissolve and new websites appear every other day as the previous ones get shut down due to complaints. Additionally now they are selling “kits” on Amazon. These are wooden parts taken as screen shots from my designs. They are incorrect, incomplete, without instructions and will never work. Please report them as fraud. They have no connection to me what so ever! Thank you.

Synchronicity

• Limited Edition of 75 • Size: 29" w x 39" h x 7" d

• Approximate Run Time: 6+ Hours

• Price: $3700.00 - opening bid - • USA

• Synchronicity © 2020

• To Order -

• Synchronicity Directions

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About Synchronicity

Synchronicity - “the simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection”-  (according to Oxford Languages via Google). Study the motion of this kinetic sculpture and you can see synchronicity in action.

I first demonstrated this motion in 1996 in a sculpture called Tango. The repair of an old Tango reminded me just how much I liked this pattern. I decided to see what I could do with this concept again couple of decades further along. I find it fascinating to approach earlier designs with the knowledge gained from years of continued experimentation and see how I can improve upon them.

What I liked about the Tango motion was its synchronicity - although it took my son-in-law to suggest the word. (My daughter and her family are living in a section of my studio during Covid to escape their city life. He has had ample time to observe this sculpture during development.) 

Each of the crescent shaped wheels moves independently but they frequently get into what seems to be a synchronized pattern with either one crescent rolling around the other or alternatively overlapping each other. These patterns seem to occur randomly so I find myself watching for them. My favorite sculptures are ones that keep me waiting for something “special” to happen. It is a great way to meditate and wile away the hours.

Synchronicity is the latest sculpture to evolve from my ongoing exploration of chaotic and unpredictable motions. It produces a rhythmic, soft clicking sound with an occasional louder melodic click every few rotations.

Chaos

• Limited Edition of 95 • Size: 46" w x 40" h x 7" d • Approximate Run Time: 10 Hours

• Price: $3500.00 - - opening bid - USA only

• Chaos Direction

About Chaos

The history of Chaos spans decades. In 1979, I was playing with different shapes and balances looking for interesting patterns. A certain combination, when hand powered, created some fascinating motion. The back wheel would rotate around and the balancing front wheel would just hang there. Then, for seemingly no reason the front wheel would start swinging erratically changing the motion of the back wheel. This was my first experience with unpredictable or random behavior. I didn’t know what was going on but I liked it. I added a drive mechanism and a sculpture named Serpentine was born.

Several decades and many sculptures later a fascination with the graphic properties of fractals led me to a book entitled Chaos by James Gleick. In a section on simple systems like pendulums and double pendulums I found this paragraph:

“Unpredictability was only the attention-grabber. Those studying chaotic dynamics discovered that the disorderly behavior of simple systems acted as a creative process. It generated complexity: richly organized patterns, sometimes stable and sometimes unstable, sometimes finite and sometimes infinite, but always with the fascination of living things.”

I was reminded of Serpentine and its changing patterns. Serpentine was a type of double pendulum. I wanted to explore this more. I had new tools, materials and nearly 40 years of experience and this time I wanted to understand the motion and, if not control it, at least influence it.

I’ve spent much of this past year playing with and studying double pendulum motion. I tried several different forms before settling on 2 stylized pendulums combined into a double pendulum. Other forms could work but I settled on the simplest shape so the motion would be the focus. The big breakthrough came when I created a mechanism that would push the pendulums only when they needed it otherwise allowing free swinging motion. As I refined the mechanism I found ways to fine tune it. For the last few months I’ve had many examples of Chaos performing in my studio. I tried many adjustments to see how each would influence the motion. Eventually I created a spreadsheet so I could track each change in an organized fashion.  I’m finally ready to release Chaos into the wild. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Winding Chaos:

Here is a video of David demonstrating how to wind Chaos.

About Sound:

Chaos has a wonderful wooden clicking sound. It is not silent but creates a melodic background accompaniment. I have video taped Chaos in action without the added musical background so you can hear as well as see the sculpture.

Duality

• Limited Edition of 95 • Size: 33" in diameter • Approx. Run Time: 8 hours

• Duality © 2017 • Edition SOLD OUT

• Duality Directions

About Duality:

When designing a kinetic sculpture many different types of balance need to be considered. This was especially true with Duality.

First there is visual balance. Marji (my partner, wife, art teacher) taught me about visual balance many years ago when I was working on my first sculptures. Basically it is trying to achieve balance in the appearance of the sculpture. Symmetrical designs are visually balanced but can be boring while asymmetrical designs are harder to balance but usually more interesting.

Second, there is simple balance. Here each mechanical part of a kinetic sculpture must be either in balance or off balance by a precise amount as related to gravity. Absolute precision in this area is impossible to achieve when working in wood but it is essential in my design to have a clear understanding of the tolerances available in each design.

And lastly, I work with what I call patterning balance. I created this term to define the balance I need to achieve between the complexity of a motion and the designs of the individual components (wheels, levers, etc.) within a sculpture. More complex patterning wheels usually require a more restrained motion than less complex wheels to prevent the sculpture from becoming visual chaos. Duality has what I consider a more complex asymmetrical wheel design. In order to fully comprehend the patterns created, the mechanism has to move the wheels in a more predictable way. Alternatively a sculpture like Infinity has symmetrical wheels so I used a more random and unpredictable mechanism to move it. After designing the wheel for Duality I needed to experiment with the various motions I can create to establish the visually most exciting combination. Once I achieve that patterning balance, I have a sculpture!

Detail Photos of Duality: