A Breathtaking Wooden Kinetic Sculpture That Mimics the Delicate Movements of a Feeding Hummingbird
Motion artist Derek Hugger has created “Colibri“, a breathtaking hand-cranked kinetic sculpture that painstakingly captures the delicate motions of a hummingbird as it feeds at a flower. Hugger said that of all his sculptures, Colibri was the most complex.
Every element of motion has been completely mechanized, from the beating wings to the flaring tail. Intricate systems of linkages and cams bring the sculpture to life with a continuous flow of meticulously timed articulations. As each mechanism has been linked to the next, Colibri cycles through its complete range of motions by the simple turn of a crank.This project is my eighth woodworking design project and is by far the most complex project I’ve done so far. From start to finish, Colibri took me about 700 hours.
Hugger has made the woodworking plans for “Colibri” and other works available for purchase through his site.
images via Derek Hugger
Lori Dorn
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