The Mechanical Zen Garden is the result of a build challenge. The challenge was to use steel tig welding to construct a 10"x11"x9" frame, then within that space create a chain of mechanical devices which turn a function. The Mechanical Zen Garden was created with the intent to push users to contemplate both the beauty and relaxing nature of a smooth machine and the way our world is being replaced by machines, that a zen human interaction with sand has now be automated.

 

To input energy one turns the flower knob attached to the steel rod and gear, as the flower is turned the rod turns, slowly letting sand out of the funnel, slowly draining the zen garden of it's finite resource, playing on the buddhist mentality that everything is impermanent. The gear turns the gear above it which is secured to the steel rod running through it. This also turns the wire gear at the top, the teeth of the gear grab onto a knotted twine. This twine wraps around the teeth (unpictured) under the display top. These teeth are connected directly to the funnel making the funnel turn, resulting in the rake and smoother creating and erasing concentric circles in the sand.