Geppetto

Made of mahogany, birch, fishing line and paper, this dynamic sculpture has provided hours of entertainment.

It hangs over the hot tub, and is used as a “spa timer”. Weight-driven, it runs about an hour and a half on a winding.

The two arms - part of a modified grasshopper escape - are driven up and down, slowly and rhythmically. They pull alternately on lines counter-wrapped around the axle of the back pattern wheel; rotating it first one direction, then the other. The back wheel then drives the otherwise free front wheel (only in one direction) through a small one-way clutch. The result is the wheels turn at varying speeds, sometimes in the same direction, sometimes opposite.
The randomly changing visual patterns created by the wheels are awesome!

Named after Pinocchio’s father, this piece was inspired by the truly amazing work of David C. Roy.