Kinetic Art and Rolling Ball Sculptures, Part 1

The first time I can remember being stopped in my tracks by a Rolling Ball Sculpture, or RBS, was not that long ago. I was visiting the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia as a way of passing some time on a Friday. Just like every other kid growing up in America, I was told the story of Ben Franklin flying his kite during a thunderstorm, and the resulting spark that ignited curiosity across the world. The science museum which bears his name now is meant to stimulate the curious mind, and so I was looking forward to doing some exploring and expecting to do a little discovery of my own.

One of the things that I stumbled upon was a large RBS with a crowd of kids gathered around in glee. Trying not to look like one of the biggest kids around, I lingered an extra long time watching every ball run in action, every twist and turn. It fascinated me!

After that discovery I began to look for info about Rolling Ball Sculptures and other types of kinetic art. I knew that there was a lot of mirth to be found therein, and so the search was on! One of the great resources that I’ve found is a Yahoo group called RollingBallSculptures. The group, which is moderated by Eddie of EddiesMind (be sure and visit his site for some great photos of his work!), and the archives are deep with practical info and advice. The folks there are helpful and enjoy sharing their experiences. I’ve not been a frequent poster there, but hope to do more posting as I work on my own projects. If you’re serious at all about getting started in this endeavor then sit yourself down and try to digest the entire archive - it’ll bring you up to speed in a jiffy!

If you’re passing through the Birmingham, Alabama area then you might want to take a detour to the McWane Science Center. Besides lots of other cool displays (and an IMAX theater, too!), they have an RBS created by George Rhoads in the main lobby. You can see a picture of it on this web page. I’ll put up some of my own pics of this soon, too.

Unfortunately I don’t have any pics of the RBS in Philly. I had left my camera behind that day when I headed out (really crummy planning on my part). I’ll try to do some digging around, and if I can find something I’ll try and post a link. Perhaps you, gentle reader, can provide the info in a comment!

Mirth Maker