Pendulum

Virtual Drawing Machine

Karen Kuo
MArch I 2023
Ethica Burt
MDes Ecologies 2023
Monica Chelliah
MArch I 2026
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1 Tulle. Two rotary pendulum drawings with harmonic frequencies reminiscent of tulle fabric with stiff but sheer surfaces.

Gravity is relentless. It's everywhere but invisible. Explorations allowing gravity to become the painter have been explored widely in the field of pendulum drawings. Eske Rex ‘s two-pendulum "drawing machine" shows pendulums swinging in a lateral motion, producing graphical drawings that transcend into the realm of art. The "drawing machine" has been widely studied in physics starting from the basic pendulum by Galileo in 1602 as a timekeeping measure, to the harmonograph developed in the 19th century.

A harmonograph depends on the number of pendulums and weights allowing lateral or circular swinging and illustrate the path of a simple harmonic motion to complex Lissajous curves.

As the inspiration and basis for visualizing electronic signals in film to company logos, a Lissajous curve is used in the poster for Alfred Hitchcock's film, Vertigo. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, also chose a simplified pendulum drawing for its new logo. Their visual intensity, unity and uniqueness in comparison to simple geometry make them excellent decorative and singular artworks.

Pendulum consists of approaches in visualization towards a virtual harmonograph, focusing on image variations produced from different 3D motions translated into the harmonic swings of a pendulum.

Project video
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2 Messy Flower. Visualization of 3D movements through a pendulum lens.
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3 Ribbon. Lateral pendulum drawing & harmonic frequencies
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4 Feather. Iterative visualization of 3D movements.
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5 Bubble. A test for using frequencies and phasing in C# through undulating spheres.