Tag Archives: marbles

Seven Incredible Marble Machines by Paul Grundbacher

Seven Incredible Marble Machines by Paul Grundbacher wood toys marbles kinetic sculpture

Swiss designer and artist Paul Grundbacher makes incredible hand-cranked marble machines that he wrote about and filmed for Matthias Wandel’s Woodgears just this weekend. Grundbacher told Woodgears that he works mostly with firewood from a local factory and that he rarely sketches anything beforehand but has the ability to fashion each piece and try it as opposed to carefully measuring things out through any sort of blueprint. All the work here spans 2009-2012 and each piece is a mixture of his own ideas and tricks learned from watching videos of other artists creating similar wooden devices. You can read more about his inspiration and methodology behind each piece right here. (via mefi)

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Marbelous, a wooden table with built-in marble tracks

Marbelous, a wooden table with built in marble tracks wood toys marbles games furniture

Marbelous, a wooden table with built in marble tracks wood toys marbles games furniture

Marbelous, a wooden table with built in marble tracks wood toys marbles games furniture

Marbelous, a wooden table with built in marble tracks wood toys marbles games furniture

Marbelous is a novel table embedded with a network tracks for steel marbles to traverse, moving from the table’s surface down through the legs. The table was designed and built by Dutch designers Nathan Wierink and Tineke Beunders who go by the name Ontwerpduo. (via laughing squid)

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Marble Run 2D

Marble Run 2D toys marbles magnets kids

Marble Run 2D toys marbles magnets kids

Marble Run 2D toys marbles magnets kids

Marble Run 2D toys marbles magnets kids

Marble Run 2D toys marbles magnets kids

PLAMA Marble Run 2D is a magnetic marble game for both children and adults designed by Swiss firm Bernhard | Burkhard. The entire set consists of 12 magnetic planes that can be rearranged on a vertical surface resulting in a subtle groove that can be traversed by a marble. Via their web site:

There are thousand ways to create an individual path for the marble that can be reorganised shortly. [...] Plama may help to develop creativity and logical thinking. It can increase the understanding of two dimensional space and proportion. Using the outline of the shapes to build a well-functioning marble run is an easy way to focus on complex thinking. Marble run 2d has been produced in Switzerland in a first limited edition and is available in selected stores or on request.

Request a set via their web site. (via triangulation)

By Christopher on          

Life Through a Marble

Life Through a Marble winter optical illusion marbles macro

Life Through a Marble winter optical illusion marbles macro

Life Through a Marble winter optical illusion marbles macro

Life Through a Marble winter optical illusion marbles macro

Life Through a Marble winter optical illusion marbles macro

This last August before a trip to Alaska a 16-year-old from New Jersey who goes by the Flickr name Cabe26 decided he wanted to pick up photography. The tiny worlds above, flipped, magnified and skewed through tiny glass marbles are among his very first photographs. Here’s a quote from an interview with Short List:

“I realised I could innovate the idea using a much smaller piece of glass and using new techniques, strategies and compostions,” he explained. “I realised I had hit on something when I took the first picture. Before even processing it I realised the idea worked out perfectly. The focus was superb, the composition was right on, and it was eye-catching.”

Cabe26, please don’t ever put that camera down. (via short list)

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