The Inventive Marble

Eli Whitney Museum

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2015 Summer Program

The Japanese artist Naoki Harada has produced a brilliant laboratory for inventing with marbles. He constructs a pump or escalator or elevator…all creative in themselves. He gives it a fixed entrance and a fixed exit and an open space in between for all manner of marble adventures. Modules pop in and out. Create, test, adjust; create test, adjust…the pure discipline of invention.

Construct a battery powered marble stairway.* Create some classic modules to spiral, switch and jump marbles in a continuous flow. Then invent your own modules. Swap them with friends. Keep the best. Recycle the rest. Finally, each machine can turn on a machine next to it. On Friday, we will assemble a spectacular Rube Goldberg relay. Batteries included.

* Designed by Parker Heyle, after Naoki Harada


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