Pasta Cycle

A kinetic sculpture that takes advantage of magnetism to perceptually confuse and entice the viewer.

ArtBots 2008 Entry Form

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To submit your work for consideration for ArtBots 2008, please fill out the following form. In addition to the form, please provide documentation (photos, video, sounds, plans, etc.) and a brief statement describing the work and your motivation for creating it. Tell us why the work is interesting, and help us understand how it fits in the context of the ArtBots show. We strongly encourage you to create a website with your entry materials in an easily viewable form. This will allow the three geographically separated curators to view the materials as you intend them to be viewed.
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Title of work: The Pasta Cycle
Contact name: Jason Krugman
Contact email address: jasonkrugman@gmail.com
Mailing address and phone number: 617-571-9442
Other project members: none
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What are the physical dimensions of the work and its operating area?
The piece has a 2x2 ft footprint and is 1 ft tall. It can either be set on a table or on the floor.

How is your work powered? Does it have any special power needs?
It is powered by two plug-in power supplies, one 12V and the other 16V.

Does your work require access to any resources (other than electrical power) that you cannot provide yourself (e.g. a sound system, video projector, net access, special lighting, compressed air, running water, etc.)?
The work does not require any additional resources.

Is your work particularly loud, bright, or active, or does your work require extreme quiet, darkness, or other particular sound/light conditions?
A strong directional light makes it somewhat more attractive visually, but the piece does not require this. Ideal conditions are a semi-darkened space with one or two directional light sources.

How long does it take you to set up your work, and how difficult is it to set up?
The piece takes about 5 minutes to set up.

Has the piece traveled before? Do you foresee any problems transporting the work?
The piece has not traveled, but it should travel well. It needs to be packed securely in a padded crate. If there are any issues with parts breaking or becoming mis-aligned, it should be relatively easy for me to repair.

How long can your piece run reliably? Can it run continuously for several hours over the course of several days? Does it need frequent maintenance?
The piece is able to run for many hours at a time. The only moving part is a wheel driven by a DC motor. There is not very much strain on the motor and the magnets are setup to prevent too much torque being generated at the center of the wheel. It should not need any maintenance.

Is this a completed work, or is it still being designed or built?
The piece is completely built and operational. It is currently on display at ITP.

If it is still in the planning stages, what is your timeline for completing the piece?
It is done.

List any elements of your work that are potentially dangerous or may cause fire/safety code problems in indoor spaces (gas engine, fire, hazardous chemicals, projectiles, etc.):
Is there anything else you think we should know about your work?
There is nothing dangerous about the work.

MEDIAfor The Pasta Cycle

Since it's creation, the Pasta Cycle has morphed from being a pasta-centric gag piece, into a multi-functional interactive sculpture. It gets its name from an early prototype in which magnets dragged along on its surface pushed elbow maccaroni around to form concentric circle patterns. The Pasta Cycle's 2 x 2 foot box contains a rotating wheel covered with stacks of strong magnets. As the wheel is spun by a DC motor, it creates varying magnetic fields that interact with other magnets or objects placed on the top surface of the box.

The top surface of the box is made of clear plexi-glass, but when a mirror or a sheet of paper is placed on its top, it is not apparent what is going on inside to cause the strange behavior of the chain, marbles or pasta. I have built frames and removable tops so that I can easilly place the different materials on its surface. The piece can also be a hand-on experience where the audience can touch the objects on the surface and control the speed of the inner wheel with a large exterior knob.

This project is the most recent result of an investigation into magnets and how they react when in motion. I have become increasingly interested in making kinetic sculptures. This semester at ITP, studying generative art in Living Art, and torque transferring couplers in Mechanisms and Things That Move provided me with the inspiration relating to materials and form that culminated in this project. I would like to that Todd Holoubek and Dustyn Roberts for their technical help and creative input on this project.

The most recent experiment with the Pasta Cycle yielded 'The Snake.' Built for a class at ITP called, Living Art, adding the chain on the top surface of the box turned an inanimate object into a snake-like voodoo creature. While The Snake always "retreats" in the same circular manner, its motions are not predictable and often change speed.

As the wheel rotates within the box, it drags a few small disc-shaped magnets along the top. The magnets collide with the marbles on the top of the box, creating a chaotic pattern of collsions. The sound of the marbles hitting the mirrored surface mixes with the rhythmic sound of the motor. A bright light shining on the polished marbles adds to the hypnotic nature of the piece. People often end up watching the piece for minutes at a time, unfocusing and refocusing their eyes and thinking about what might be going on inside the box. A common misperception is that the marbles themselves are magnetic.

Additional documentation of this projects development is available here.

Back when it was just pasta	Small magnets push things around	Combo of pasta and marbles