I find creating kinetic sculptures to be an iterative process. I gather ideas for shapes, patterns and mechanisms like separate little puzzle pieces. Sometimes they fit together and sometimes they don't seem to be part of the same puzzle. That’s when things get interesting and I get to design new pieces that will fit.

This wheel design is vintage 2007. It was one of my early wheels for Evolution. It didn’t fit that “puzzle" but I saved it because it was interesting and different from any patterning wheel I had designed. It wasn’t until last year when I was working on Solo that I realized that I might have the mechanism concept that would fit with those wheels.

I started doing some animation tests on the computer and I liked what emerged but only if the wheels turned very slowly. It was also essential that they be made of light wood so the pattern could “blend”. Many patterns need dark wheels to emerge but this one was different. I found the combined pattern of the simple dark inner rims combined with the complex spiral spoked main wheels created a “sparkling" halo effect.

This was something new. I’ve been living with this piece and watching it everyday. It continues to fascinate me.

Additional Photos of Aztec: