Chomp

This was one of my first kinetic pieces, built while I was an undergraduate at the Kansas City Art Institute.

The carved wooden jaws snap open and shut as the piece rolls across the floor. This sculpture was purchased by the American Compressed Steel corporation for winning their art from salvaged materials competition.

Every element was found — scrap yards, second-hand stores, dumpsters — then cleaned, stripped, sorted and rebuilt. Found aluminum is TIG-welded and sanded seamless; nothing is cast. The electronics are salvaged from consumer devices, repaired and rewired so the piece does something when you touch it.