This chain-lift rolling ball sculpture runs with 1-inch miniature billiard balls and has four very different tracks packed into its open frame.

Three of the faster routes are easy to spot: a tall coil on the left, a vertical zig-zag through the middle, and a loop d’ loop with 10 inversions cutting right through the center of the sculpture.

The fourth track takes the scenic route. It begins with a long horizontal zig-zag leading into an adjustable ball-collecting tipping arm. By changing the counterweight, I could make the collector hold one, two, three, or four balls before tipping and releasing them together.

From there, the marbles enter a flat spiral followed by long sections of back-and-forth and wavy track that fill the frame. One of my favorite details is near the end, where momentum carries the ball uphill for a short distance before gravity takes over again and sends it back toward the lift.

I used miniature billiard balls on quite a few sculptures during this period. They were incredibly durable and could knock into one another all day without chipping or breaking. Eventually I stopped using them for a much less exciting reason: they collected dirt remarkably well and were difficult to keep clean. Sometimes practical experience wins over durability.

100% stainless steel, TIG welded.