brandon sullivan has invented a drawing machine that makes a unique piece of art as it is shipped – essentially a pencil-studded ball in a paper-lined box. it was inspired by his earlier vibratory drawing machine, a far cry from tinguely’s originals. what is interesting about this new method is that it could be functional as well: for years delicate goods have shipped with sensors to ensure that they are not damaged along the way. the advent of sensor RFID tags and GPS systems makes it possible to know a lot about where a package has been – at a substantial cost. while the drawings made by the shipping method are apparently random, a careful combination of drawing tool and enclosure could already determine a number of factors about the shipping such as how long it was in transit and how much it was shaken. temperature activated dyes or varying hardnesses and colors could help establish additional factors, for example.
via make