Dan Grayber’s sculptures are invented only to sustain themselves, functioning as self-resolving problems. The result is an object that has been invented only to compensate for the complications created by its own existence. The piece alone represents the need and the resolution.
Many of the pieces are small, spring loaded, mechanical objects. They are intricately designed and fabricated to accomplish one of the most simple, yet most essential tasks that an autonomous object can. This task, this need, is that of holding itself up. In most cases, the pieces accomplish this by actively attaching themselves to specific architectural features and individual objects.
Bottle Mechanism #3. Piece consists of two parts joined together with bicycle brake cable: the mechanical base, and the mechanism that fits inside of the bottle. The weight of the bottle, and the piece inside the bottle, maintains enough tension in the system as a whole to keep the mechanism inside the bottle expanded, bracing itself in the center of the bottle. This tension also keeps the bottle from dropping any further.
Parallel Walls Mechanism #1. Piece is composed of seven steel frames that telescope outwards. Two large, centrally located springs activate mechanism that pushes first set of frames, pulley system causes 2nd and 3rd set to telescope outwards based on the position of the first set. Piece exerts enough outward force upon two parallel walls (roughly 15’ apart) to hold itself up.
Corner Mechanism #4. Piece is a counterweight driven mechanism that wedges itself into the interior of a corner, suspending itself.
Cavity Mechanism #7 w/Glass Dome. Piece is a counterweight driven mechanism that wedges itself into inside of a cavity (the glass dome in this case), suspending itself.
Column Mechanism #1. Piece consists of a central tensioning mechanisms and eight “satelite” contact objects, in pairs. Tension created from central mechanism is run through pulleys on each pair of “satelite” objects, pulling them together, creating tension that squeezes column and supports central piece.
Interfloor Mechanism #1. Piece is a spring loaded mechanism that wedges itself between the floor and ceiling, holding itself up.