In 1989 I began creating abstract mobiles, initially as a hobby and later as a modest source of income. In addition to commissioned pieces, my work has been exhibited and sold through three art galleries in southeastern Michigan: The Ann Arbor Art Association (Ann Arbor, MI); the Clara Kott von Storch Gallery (Dexter, MI); and Gallery Animato (Bloomfield Hills, MI).

These mobiles are constructed from a variety of lightweight materials, such as birch, balsa wood, and styrofoam. Most of the themes are abstract, but a few are interpretations of natural forms, such as plants or fire.

These are sculptures that react in some way to changes in their environment, typically via computer control. I became interested in this medium several years ago when I took my first course in artificial intelligence. My professor, Lee Spector, had created a few different types of musical sculptures, and encouraged me to try my hand at it for a final course project. The result of this effort is shown on the right: a large, wireframe structure covered with muslin, with a central pedestal supporting a sphere which the viewer could manipulate. The sculpture generated abstract, ambient music, which changed according to the position of the viewer and the rotation of the sphere.

The unearthly creature to the left was the result of a collaborative effort with Lee Spector, Garth Zenie, and a group of electrical engineering students at UMass. Although it is not clear from the picture, Twitchy had three faces (with constantly changing expressions), wings, and a jointed torso.