Color Wheel
Color Wheel is a kinetic light sculpture constructed from salvaged mechanical parts and newly integrated electrical components. At its center, a horizontal brass canister rotates when the crank on the right side is turned—part of a white enamel German meat grinder that serves as the sculpture’s main housing. As the crank is turned, copper wires above are pulled down by magnets toward the spinning canister. When a wire makes contact, it completes a circuit that triggers one of the colored Plexiglas panels above to light up. These translucent rectangles are arranged in a radial formation and held in place by the brush end of an antique chimney sweep’s tool. The entire piece rests on a circular white enamel strainer, possibly once used for pasta, which forms the base. Pocket watch parts decorate the top of the canister, adding a layer of visual rhythm to the mechanical core. Color Wheel draws on the visual language of early analog machinery—part device, part display—combining light, motion, and material reuse into a composition that feels both functional and quietly theatrical.
