Spirotrope Original

Spirotrope design is created using three different creations: a Spirograph (1965), Stirling engine (1816), and an Arduino (2000s) to form a unique art piece. Spirotrope creates motion graphics from lines drawn using the Spirograph, together with the image persistence technique. The technique uses a strobe light to shine a momentary bright light in intervals so that a stationary object appears to move. The frequency of the strobe light and the Spirograph patterns drawn with different sizes of gears create various different motions. In technical terms, it is the Frame Rate that determines the speed and the direction of rotation of the motion whether fast, slow, forward, or backward, depending on how many times the light flashes per second. The electrical energy from the motor and the spinning mechanics on the artwork is generated using the Stirling Engine which uses methyl alcohol as a fuel for combustion.