Apogee is my second motor driven sculpture. Although spring driven sculptures will remain at the core of my sculpture collection, I am constantly searching for ways to broaden the appeal of my sculptures.  While spring sculptures are easy to wind and run for many hours, I created Apogee especially  to appeal to collectors searching for an unusual and memorable art piece  that will run constantly in the lobby of their business.

Apogee's pattern wheels are driven exactly like my other spring driven sculptures except the spring and some of the drive pulleys are replaced with sensors, a micro computer, and a motor. 

Apogee  starts with the flip of a switch on its underside.   When either pattern wheel loses speed and begins to rotate backwards, a sensor behind the wheel alerts the sculpture’s micro computer to turn the drive motor attached to a belt for about 2 seconds.

 The sculpture runs off a small 9 volt transformer that can be plugged into any standard electrical outlet.  Since the sculpture’s motor only runs when the pattern wheels need a new push, the power consumption is less than charging a cell phone. The power cord can be hidden with a cord cover which can be painted to match the wall.