Cybernetic Duchamp
2018
bicycle wheel, TIG welded aluminum tubing, electric motor, stepper motor, radio sensor, e-bike battery
Along with "Fountain," Duchamp's "Bicycle Wheel" is a conceptual anchor in contemporary art. Growing up, I encountered it perennially at the MoMA. Each time I saw it, I felt that something was missing--it suggests movement but stands completely still. After finally following my father's footsteps into Tsaibernetic sculpture, I decided not only to make a kinetic Duchamp wheel, but a cybernetic one. The interactive chaotic instability of "Cybernetic Duchamp" is in direct contrast to Duchamp's static version. In Duchamp's spirit, I'm considering calling it an instabile, i.e., an unstable mobile.