Sand Machine
Sand Machine is a kinetic sculpture created with natural materials collected by David Medalla and powered by a rotating motor. Made when he was at the forefront of London’s avant-garde art scene in the 1960s, the work explores themes of impermanence and human interaction with nature, drawing inspiration from Buddhist practices and the Philippine landscape. It reflects Medalla’s radical thinking in exploring the poetic dimension of mechanized art and privileging an open-endedness in object making.
Artwork Details
- Title: Sand Machine
- Artist: David Medalla (Filipino, Manila 1942–2020 Manila)
- Date: 1963–2016/2017
- Medium: Lacquered wood, birch wood, Perspex, sand, wire, rotating motor, seashells, pebble rocks, and feather
- Dimensions: 25 1/2 × 23 5/8 × 23 5/8 in. (64.8 × 60 × 60 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace and Mara Coson Gifts, 2025
- Object Number: 2025.733a–d
- Rights and Reproduction: © David Medalla
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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