Strombergm

I make fine kinetic sculptures, primarily of wood, which utilize magnetic suspension. The magnetically attracted pieces rotate, shimmy and move whenever a breeze or detectable vibration occurs. Vibrations from footsteps, music, earthquakes, etc., will bring the pendants to life. When there are no vibrations, the pendants remain in perfect, motionless balance. As far as I know, I am the only artist who uses magnetic- suspension in sculpture.

When designing a new sculpture, I generally start with a very loose concept of what I want the sculpture to portray. This concept usually involves a focal point that will become the gist of the sculpture. The focal point can be one item, for instance a compass, or multiple complimentary parts, like a sail and hull. Once the focal point or theme of the work has been decided, the frame and ancillary parts are designed to complement the focal point(s). The design process involves painstaking planning and many revisions along the way.

My primary medium is wood. I find wood to be a fascinating material because of each pieces unique and individual beauty. The different species and grain-types of wood offer me a vast palate of color and visual texture to work with.
All of my sculptures are more than what meets the eye. At first glance, a viewer may think that my pieces work by suspending the individual parts from wire. However, on closer look, they realize that the pieces actually seem to defy gravity by floating in air. This of course is done by magnetic suspension. I love people’s initial response when the actually realize how the sculptures work. It is usually one of awe and disbelief.
Working with magnets and wood is extremely challenging, and usually takes hours of re-balancing the parts to make them move and interact the way I want them to. However, once the parts are in balance, I am able to achieve sculptural movements that are unique to the Kinetic Art scene. Most artists use only gravity to and wind to manipulate their work, both of which are predictable natural forces. In addition to those forces, I add magnetism, which causes the parts to interact and manipulate each other in new and fresh ways. Sometime the parts will quiver, spin, and shimmy in ways that are not possible without the use of magnets. Touching one piece of the sculpture will cause the other parts to come to life as if by magic.
My goal in sculpture is to give each viewer a new and unique experience. When people spend an extra moment looking at my art, they will realize that there is much more going on than meets the eye.

-- Mike