"Conrad Shawcross' The Nervous System (Umbilical) (2025), the crowning achievement of his Rope Makers series, stands as a testament to a decade of artistic and engineering ambition. Born from a late-night conversation with David Walsh, founder of Tasmania's groundbreaking MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), this 10-meter-tall, 12-meter-diameter installation is Shawcross' most complex rope machine yet. Forty interlocking arms orbit relentlessly, weaving a rope in sequences that will never repeat, creating a kinetic poem to the infinite."
"Each rotating spool mirrors the aberrations of planets circling our sun, while the entire structure evokes a galaxy flattening and expanding over millennia. The rope threading through the center becomes a cosmic metaphor: like the sun hurtling through space at unfathomable speeds, dragging its planets and 891 moons along helical paths, the artwork visualizes the sublime choreography of celestial mechanics."
Art installations that go beyond traditional paintings use unconventional materials and interdisciplinary practices to create visually striking works rich with deeper meaning. Many such creations incorporate science, mechanical engineering, and physics to challenge definitions of art and offer fresh aesthetic and intellectual perspectives. Conrad Shawcross' The Nervous System (Umbilical) (2025) exemplifies interdisciplinary, mechanically-driven sculpture: a 10-meter-tall, 12-meter-diameter rope-making machine with forty interlocking arms that weave non-repeating sequences. The work originated from a conversation with David Walsh and was crafted in Shawcross' Hackney studio. Rotating spools mirror planetary aberrations, the rope becomes a cosmic metaphor, and industrial materials contrast organic imagery.
Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News
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