Fibonacci Zoetrope Sculptures are trippy

This is a bit complicated – so much so that I don’t really understand exactly what’s going on (although we’ve done zoetropes and Finonacci sprials on the blog before). All I know is that it’s all to do with the spinning, the lighting and your eyes and mind playing tricks on you.

[vimeo clip_id=”116582567″ width=”678″ height =”381″]

Here we go:

These are 3D printed sculptures designed to animate when spun under a strobe light. The placement of the appendages is determined by the same method nature uses in pinecones and sunflowers. The rotation speed is synchronized to the strobe so that one flash occurs every time the sculpture turns 137.5º – the golden angle. If you count the number of spirals on any of these sculptures you will find that they are always Fibonacci numbers.

Hmm. It’s not that much clearer, is it? Still, the great thing about complicated stuff is that you don’t always have to understand exactly what’s going on to enjoy what you’re seeing.