In 2010, Gizmo helped Berkeley kinetic artist Reuben Margolin engineer, build and install his breathtaking sculpture.
Client: Reuben Margolin
Category: Sculpture Fabrication
Location: Hilton Anatole, Dallas, Texas
Date: 2010
“Nebula” hangs 132 feet down from the ceiling of the Anatole Hilton in Dallas, Texas. The ambitious 7 ton project contains 45,000 parts all suspended from 4 points, with one motor driving a series of cables over pulleys to undulate the 90’ x 55’ assembly of bicycle reflectors and anodized aluminum support cones and rods 80’ feet over the heads of visitors to the hotel.
The Nebula has thousands of custom amber crystals organized in a multi-tiered, geometric pattern made from 14,064 bicycle reflectors, anodized aluminum cones and rods.
The movement of the Nebula is created through one mechanism fanning out to 10 miles of aircraft cable and 1780 pulleys, all supported by and engineered steel truss, and driven by one electric motor. Throughout design & fabrication, Gizmo stuck to their principle of not compromising the artist’s vision while tackling the thousands of mechanical and material decisions needed to complete a sculpture of this scale.
