An Exquisite Wooden Kinetic Sculpture That Mimics the Graceful Movements of a Swimming Sea Turtle

Motion artist Derek Hugger, who created the breathtaking hummingbird kinetic sculpture “Colibri”, has followed up with another exquisite kinetic sculpture he calls “Carapace“. This wooden single-cranked, tilting sculpture mimics the smooth, graceful and deliberate movements of a sea turtle swimming through the ocean.

Carapace is my most complex kinetic sculpture yet. …it is comprised of over 600 parts. …Carapace is a wooden kinetic sculpture that simulates the motion of a sea turtle swimming. A complex series of mechanisms allows Carapace to swim up and down, tilt forward or back, and even lift its head up for a breath of air. As each mechanism is carefully linked to the next, each of Carapace’s flowing motions are driven by turning a single crank.

The plans for this and other sculptures are available for purchase through Hugger’s website

Here’s a timelapse of the sculpture’s full range of motion.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips