De-Generate

This piece was an attempt at making creative use of my large collection of electrical meters.

The composition inside the glass jar is comprised entirely of the magnetic armatures and wire coils found inside analog meters. The hand crank power dynamo mounted on the base supplies an electrical current to the meters, making each needle jump and wiggle in unison.

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.