‘JOLT‘, steel cage, iron balloon, magnet, steel wire, electric motors (70cm high x 35cm wide x 35cm deep). A steel balloon is suspended in the air by the pull of a strong magnet above, there is a 1cm gap – it floats. Electric motors hidden the in the base slowly spin the balloon and also lifts up the base so it falls dramatically, the jolt. The mechanism, like my other sculptures also acts like a clock, it activates a 30 second cycle, on the hour, every hour. It can also be started by a button on the base of the sculpture.
This sculpture is more about expressing a feeling, it pokes at the reactionary side of our character. Most peoples initial reaction to this mechanical sculpture is surprise, then curiosity, “how is a rusty balloon floating like that, what’s it made of, how does it move?”, by suspending judgment to life’s unexpected jolts we have more chance at understanding the unexpected.
