Hypersphaerae hokusai

Hypersphaera hokusai

Cyclone Superball

Unlike its cousin H jangeri (Psychedelic Cyclone Superball), these specimens are composed of a limited number of contributing colors of rubber.  Often just 3 or 4 tones in a restrained palette, they don't display the same wild panoply as jangeri.  As with all "cyclone" styles, they are made by injecting the base materials into the mold from a single point and are, thus, solidly intermixed throughout the ball.  You can see in the 2nd example shown (below left, top) this method's point of introduction 

The materials are pushed through as distinct streams which become mixed and swirled under the pressure of the process.

These are named after the great Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, known simply as Hokusai, in honor of his famous woodblock print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa from his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. (More info: https://www.katsushikahokusai.org/Mount-Fuji-Seen-Below-A-Wave-At-Kanagawa.html.)

Hypersphaera hokusai

2014

Specimen box made for the exhibtion, Bounce!, at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (2014/15).

Materials: Salvaged picture frame, wood, linen, paper, vintage superball, and hardware. (Henry J. Simonds)

Photo courtesy of Headwater Media,

©2014 Henry J. Simonds