Rolling Ball Sculpture
Encyclopedia
A rolling ball sculpture, sometimes referred to as a marble run, a ball run, a gravitram, or a rolling ball machine is a form of kinetic art
– an art form of that contains moving pieces – that specifically involves one or more rolling balls. Rolling ball sculpture art typically includes rails or tracks made of metal or wood, and one or more balls or marbles that travels down the tracks. Ball types include, but are not limited to, steel, acrylic, wood and glass. Rolling ball sculptures are often described as being both busy and soothing at the same time. They are an artistic form of mechanical motion.
The largest rolling ball sculpture in the world, at 22 metres (72.2 ft) tall, is said to be the Energy Machine, located in the Hong Kong Science Museum
in Hong Kong
.
There are some commercial rolling ball sculptures such as Spacewarp from Bandai, Techno Ball and Chaos Machine
. Some hobbyists and artists also enjoy making the sculptures by themselves using wood, metal or plastic.
Rolling ball sculptures rarely use circular-cross-sectioned tubes for the runs; tubes can induce balls to spin in ways that can introduce unpredictable delays; because of this most sculptures use guides on either side of the ball.
Specific creators
Kinetic art
Kinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. Kinetic art encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles.-Kinetic sculpture:...
– an art form of that contains moving pieces – that specifically involves one or more rolling balls. Rolling ball sculpture art typically includes rails or tracks made of metal or wood, and one or more balls or marbles that travels down the tracks. Ball types include, but are not limited to, steel, acrylic, wood and glass. Rolling ball sculptures are often described as being both busy and soothing at the same time. They are an artistic form of mechanical motion.
The largest rolling ball sculpture in the world, at 22 metres (72.2 ft) tall, is said to be the Energy Machine, located in the Hong Kong Science Museum
Hong Kong Science Museum
The Hong Kong Science Museum is a science-themed museum in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong, located next to the Hong Kong Museum of History.The museum has a DC3 airliner suspended from the ceiling....
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
There are some commercial rolling ball sculptures such as Spacewarp from Bandai, Techno Ball and Chaos Machine
Chaos Machine
The Chaos Machine is an ever-evolving collection of Chaos Toy sets gathered together by Steve Jackson, founder of Steve Jackson Games ....
. Some hobbyists and artists also enjoy making the sculptures by themselves using wood, metal or plastic.
Rolling ball sculptures rarely use circular-cross-sectioned tubes for the runs; tubes can induce balls to spin in ways that can introduce unpredictable delays; because of this most sculptures use guides on either side of the ball.
External links
General sites- History of Gravitram
- The Swirling Brain Rolling Ball Sculptures
- Compendium of Rolling Ball Sculptures, etc.
- Large list of Rolling Ball websites and examples
Specific creators
- Mark Bischof
- Eddie Boes
- Didier Legros
- Steven Fleury
- Charlie Francus
- Matthew Gaulden, with a section on building RBS
- Stephen Jendro
- Jason Mellard
- George Rhoads
- Jeffrey Zachmann