The Factory Concrete Rolling Ball Kinetic Sculpture
The Factory, Material Immaterial Studio's latest concrete rolling ball kinetic sculpture, is a nod to Brutalist architecture, and our desire to own stuff we can fiddle with to spur creativity, or just take a mental break from work. And I must say, when it comes to desk toys, or household decor in general, The Factory is one of the coolest pieces I've seen in awhile.
While austere in both inspiration and composition, the concrete structure has so many points of interest molded into the stair-steps and spirals of its interior that I forget it's a replica of a cement or steel factory rather than a magical castle. And I can only imagine how once you let one of its 11 steel balls loose from the upper tower The Factory will really come to life. Material Immaterial provides no video of the kinetic sculpture in action - probably on purpose - but also notes "What is particularly fascinating to us apart from the rolling ball, is the patterns formed by the shadows cast by different architectural elements that have been carefully put together to create a drama of these shadows which slowly unfolds as the eye moves deeper into the structure and around it."
In addition to The Factory, Material Immaterial also makes Balls Eye, another brilliant concrete rolling ball kinetic sculpture. Balls Eye does have a demo video, which I've included above.
August 4, 2020 Update: A video of The Factory churning out its steel balls does exist after all - check it out alongside the one for Balls Eye.
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