Reuben Margolin

Kinetic sculpture remains one of the most enchanting fusions of technology and high art. A perfect example opened recently near Zurich at the Swiss Center of Technorama. Artist Reuben Margolin worked with museum staff to suspend 450 aluminum rods by 256 wires and connect 3,000 pulleys and sliding bars. The resulting specimen uses pure mechanics—not computer-controlled servomotors—to create almost limitless figurative shapes. The effect isn't far removed from the recent kinetic installation by ART+COM at the BMW headquarters in Munich.