Two thousand marbles flow through the 3000-part machine. They hit drum heads, fall in cascades, bounce off glockenspiel keys, and turn kinetic motion into aesthetic sound. Molin hand-cranks the marbles through the device, and then toggles various levers and switches to change the sound, turning it from an over-large music box into a musical instrument. Similar devices have been simulated, like the Radeon 9700 Pipe Dream. While that was impressive from an animation standpoint, this marble-wielding masterpiece is very much a physical device. Molin’s 14-month-long production process for the Wintergatan Marble Machine is extensively documented on YouTube. It’s as much an engineering marvel as it is an aural delight. Watch it below:
