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Artist creates ever-changing "galaxy" to hang on the wall

Artist creates ever-changing "galaxy" to hang on the wall
"For me it's like a closed 'universe' which mixes molecules until something nice occurs," artist Robert Spillner told us
"For me it's like a closed 'universe' which mixes molecules until something nice occurs," artist Robert Spillner told us
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Within the aluminum frame sit two acrylic discs which are rotated by electric motors, causing ever-changing patterns to appear in the fluid inbetween
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Within the aluminum frame sit two acrylic discs which are rotated by electric motors, causing ever-changing patterns to appear in the fluid inbetween 
"For me it's like a closed 'universe' which mixes molecules until something nice occurs," artist Robert Spillner told us
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"For me it's like a closed 'universe' which mixes molecules until something nice occurs," artist Robert Spillner told us
The Art Machine is 945 mm in diameter, 65 mm thick and weighs 15 kg
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The Art Machine is 945 mm in diameter, 65 mm thick and weighs 15 kg
Two brushless electric motors rotate acrylic discs once every minute or up to 10 times per minute, which is reported to cause continuous flow turbulence inside the chamber
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Two brushless electric motors rotate acrylic discs once every minute or up to 10 times per minute, which is reported to cause continuous flow turbulence inside the chamber
View gallery - 4 images

Former automotive engineer Robert Spillner has designed and built the Art Machine, which sits somewhere between static eye candy and looped video. The kinetic art device can be hung on a wall and displays a continuous, never-ending flowing image that has the look of weather patterns on some strange planet or a swirling galaxy in full flow.

Within a tasteful aluminum frame are two acrylic discs with a fluid developed by Spillner inbetween. This fluid is a mix of aerospace industry dye and some secret sauce particles that results in a fluid that "will never be mixed completely" so all the patterns retain their definition. Spillner says he's had one running for over a thousand hours with no degradation of the optical effect.

Two brushless electric motors rotate the discs once every minute or up to 10 times per minute, which is reported to cause continuous flow turbulence inside the chamber. This moves the dye/particle mix faster at the outer edge than at the center, and other worldly patterns are formed out front. The effect is quite mesmerizing.

Within the aluminum frame sit two acrylic discs which are rotated by electric motors, causing ever-changing patterns to appear in the fluid inbetween
Within the aluminum frame sit two acrylic discs which are rotated by electric motors, causing ever-changing patterns to appear in the fluid inbetween 

"The great visual effect of the Art Machine is caused by the different color of dye and particles, so there are areas of darkness and brightness inside the chamber," Spillner told us. "The mixing of dye and particles is never complete, because the rotation is stopped after some seconds ( e-motors stopped). After the stop of rotation, the particles fall down (sedimentation), and the loop starts again."

The 945 mm (37 in) in diameter and 65 mm (2.6 in) thick Art Machine tips the scales at 15 kg (33 lb) and can be seen doing its thing in the video below. And if you like what you see, it's available for US$6,250.

As to what inspired the artist to create the device – "the truth is, I can't paint, so I invented a machine to do the job," said Spillner. "For me it's like a closed 'universe' which mixes molecules until something nice occurs."

Source: Robert Spillner

"Inverted Space"

View gallery - 4 images
4 comments
4 comments
paul314
This looks a lot like the various vorticity simulators that used to be a thing in science museums. The secret sauce in those was reportedly a particular kind of dishwashing liquid.
christopher
I don't think I've ever seen any vimeo that worked properly - why doesn't everyone just use youtube? Doesn't the spinning "wait" circle wear you out eventually?
Mark Salamon
Thanks for including the video of the Art Machine. Watching it for one minute and forty-nine seconds provided me with all the visual information I needed to swave myself $6,250.
GregVoevodsky
Why not get some pretty earth colors - blues, whites, and light browns. This looks more like Mercury or Titan than Earth. May I recommend making a more affordable screen saver version too?