Reuben Margolin’s Kinetic Wave Sculptures

I'm a word nerd who loves to geek out on how emerging technology affects the lexicon. I was an editor on the first 40 volumes of MAKE, and I love shining light on the incredible makers in our community. In particular, covering art is my passion — after all, art is the first thing most of us ever made. When not fawning over perfect word choices, I can be found on the nearest mountain, looking for untouched powder fields and ideal alpine lakes.

Contact me at snowgoli@gmail.com or via @snowgoli.

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March 23rd, 2011 22

Our Mechanics theme brought to mind San Francisco Bay Area kinetic sculptor Reuben Margolin, one of my all-time favorite artists. He makes mind-blowing, moving art based on tiny observations in nature. His collection of waves has the ability to quiet, soothe, and inspire awe in the viewer. Margolin combines math and simple materials (and insanely neat string and pulley systems) to recreate and amplify subtle effects that often go unnoticed in nature, like a tiny ripple or the movement of a caterpillar. One of my favorite Make: television segments is this fascinating 10-minute profile of Margolin: