CREATIVE MACHINES

he Breeze Is So Busy is the title of the brand new atrium artwork recently installed in Phoenix, Arizona. Composed of two sculptures suspend

We recently began a public art commission for Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas. The sculpture will consist of a 15’ diameter globe composed of a triangular frame made from brushed stainless steel with hammer-formed metal cutouts of the 7 continents attached to it. The negative space of the frame will be fitted with perforated stainless steel panels — when mixed with our powerful LED lighting from within creates an interesting visual moire effect that change

The first stage of assembly and installation for Shimmering Sea is underway! This installation is on a pedestrian bridge at The Watermark in Tempe, Arizona. The piece consists of hundreds of polished stainless steel discs that will gently move with the breeze, creating an ever-changing canvas of reflection of the spaces’ surroundings. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos of our team adhering hundreds of these polished discs to the railings of the bridge. Check out our last

GEORGE RHOADS ART EXPO In 2007, artist George Rhoads partnered with Creative Machines to manage, design, fabricate and represent his world-famous Ball Machine sculptures. Through this partnership, we continue to develop new fabrication methods, design elements and strategies for making engaging and long-lasting sculptures. In addition to being a renowned kinetic artist wowing audiences around the globe with his whimsical sculptures, Rhoads developed a love for painting and or

Artwork for Camelback Commons has made its way to Phoenix, AZ for installation. This sculpture is a large-scale suspended stainless steel mobile that will hang in the open-air atrium section of the building and gently rotate with the wind. Check out behind-the-scenes photos below of our team loading the sculptures onto not one, but two trucks! Check out past blog posts about the making of this artwork: New Art for Phoenix, Fabrication for Camelback Commons, Hanging Demo and C

Our upcoming atrium artwork, The Breeze Is So Busy, for Camelback Commons in Phoenix, AZ has been painted in bright shades of blue, green, and yellow. The paint job turned out great and we can’t wait to get these gentle giants installed. Look back at past blog entries about the making of this monumental suspended sculpture: New Art for Camelback Commons, Camelback Commons Fabrication Update, Camelback Commons Hanging Demo. #joeoconnell #kineticsculpture #StainlessSteel #place

Over the last few weeks, All Systems Go has been taken apart, powder-coated in an array of bright colors, and put back together again with all its finishing touches. After the machine was reassembled we began the testing phase where the machine runs for 1,000 hours prior to leaving our shop. This process allows our team to notice any kinks that may arise and gives us an opportunity to fix any technical issues that may occur before we deliver the sculpture to our client. This

Over the last several months we have been prototyping and testing materials for a new piece of public art titled Shimmering Sea for The Watermark, an upscale residential, shopping, and business center located in Tempe, Arizona. Shimmering Sea is a wind-activated kinetic sculpture composed of an array of polished stainless steel discs. Each of these discs is suspended from just above its center of mass so that it will move with the wind. Arranged in this faceted array, the pol

All Systems Go is a brand new interactive ball machine going into Cayton Children’s Museum by Sharewell (formerly known as Zimmer Children’s Museum). This ball machine is loaded with an array of interactive devices and functions. It’s equipped with hand cranks, foot pedals, a bouncy seat, and special gears to twist and turn that will change the course of the circulating golf balls depending on how the user decides to interact with the machine. The machine is designed to illus

Last week, our Science North exhibits were packed up, shipped, and installed into the well-known Science Center in Ontario, Canada. We can’t wait for the space to be ready for visitors to engage with our exhibits! Creative Machines was there every step of the way with three members of our team going along for the install to make certain everything was put into place correctly. Check out some behind-the-scenes photos of the shipping and installation process below. Check out pa

Fabrication is almost 100% complete for the four exciting new exhibits we have going into Science North in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada! Here are a few more images of the finishing touches going in place for Building with Light, Lissajous, Linkages and Pulleys, and Overhead Fans. Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes photos from our team during the installation! Check out past blog posts on Science North: Visit From Science North, Science North Fabrication Part 1. #joeoconnell #s

Over the past few months, we have been working on a large-scale suspended sculpture for Camelback Commons in Phoenix, AZ. The sculpture will hang within the atriums of a new office building in the financial center of Phoenix. We held a hanging demonstration in our shop to see the 30ft tall, 1,100lb sculptures in action. Here are some photos of the demonstration! Look back at past blog posts about Camelback Commons: New Art For Camelback Commons, Camelback Commons Fabrication.

Growing Home was recently featured in Modern Luxury San Diego. We are so proud of this piece and can already see it begin to make a lasting impression on the surrounding community. “I wish to express how impressed I am with your work, “Growing home!” You are indeed the special artist and craftsman we wanted to make Park/12 a unique setting for residents and public alike.” – Jerry Brand, Senior Managing Director, Greystar Check out the digital version of Modern Luxury San Dieg

The City of Tucson (where we are based) has commissioned a piece titled Wet Wheel, a 20-foot wide and 14-ft tall bike wheel that will straddle a portion of a mixed-use biking/pedestrian path like a gateway. The spokes would be absent except when a cyclist rides through the center, water jets appear in the place of spokes and give the rider an approximately one-second spray of water— a much needed and refreshing way to cool off in the intense, Arizona sun! Wet Wheel will strad

Fabrication has begun on a brand new, state-of-the-art ball machine for Zimmer Children’s Museum by Sharewell, which is reopening as The Cayton Children’s Museum in late spring 2019! (#TheCaytonIsComing)! This highly specialized and interactive ball machine titled All Systems Go illustrates and promotes healthy living through exercise, rest, and healthy eating. The interactive components follow the idea that if you exercise and treat your body well, good things happen. Here a

The exhibits we are building for Science North are well underway! Science North is a one-of-a-kind science center located in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The museum prides itself on inspiring people of all ages to be engaged with the science of the world around them. We hope these interactive exhibits can aid them in that important mission! Here are some progress photos of the exhibits being fabricated out in the shop! These images include the construction of Building with Light

Check out this video interview with Creative Machines President Joe O’Connell on our recently installed sculpture set Body Politic. #joeoconnell #community #StainlessSteel #feature #LNX #bodypolitic #interactiveart #Sculpture #PublicArt #lenexa #CreativeMachines

Growing Home has made it to Park 12 in San Diego, CA, and was successfully installed by our great team of installers and fabricators. This monumental seashell sculpture celebrates all things San Diego, with the rich history of the city laser-cut into the beach-inspired stainless steel sculpture. Here are some photos from the installation! Check out past blog posts about the making of Growing Home: Growing Home Fabrication Begins, Fabrication Progress, Fabrication Progress 2,

River Alive! exhibits for The Independence Seaport Museum located in Philadelphia, PA have been delivered and successfully installed. We are so excited for museum-goers to experience the new attraction! River Alive! is designed to teach visitors all about water as they discover the wonders and challenges of their regional waterways. Our work on Watershed Modeling, Rate the Risk, River Continuum Triggers, Highway Theatre, and Water Cycle Puzzle will help guests understand the

Growing Home was packed up and loaded onto the truck and headed towards San Diego, California! This week we have a great team of Creative Machines installers working to get the piece put into place. Stay tuned for more on the installation and to see the finished sculpture in its completed form. Want to see more on Growing Home? Check out our past blog posts: Fabrication Begins, Fabrication Update 2, Fabrication Update 3, Fabrication Update 4. #joeoconnell #community #Stainles