#tonski

Illegal Gallery Presents: Jacob Tonski “Balance from Within”

"Balance from Within", initiated in 2010 by STUDIO artist-in-residence Jacob Tonski, is a 170-year-old sofa which uses an internal robotic mechanism to balance precariously on one leg, continuously teetering, responding internally to external forces. The piece was recently completed and exhibited at the 2013 FILE festival in Brazil. More information:studioforcreativeinquiry.org/projects/balance-from-within

Tonski writes: “Balance comes from within. It’s a delicate act, and sometimes we fall down. ‘Balance from Within’ is a meditation on the nature of human relations, and the things we build to support them.”

Tonski is an assistant professor at Miami University, Ohio in the Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies (aims.miamioh.edu) and the Department of Art (arts.miamioh.edu). “Balance from Within” was developed through a residency at the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University, with support from the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, and finishing support from the School of Creative Arts, Miami University, Ohio.

Jacob Tonski (jacobtonski.com) acknowledges the Oxford Community Arts Center, Oxford Ohio and Caroline Croswell for the opportunity to film the piece in such a wonderful location; Lynn Johnson and the Miami University Instrumentation Lab for electrical engineering consultations; Seth Cluett, Emily Moorhead, Garth Zeglin and John Sneckenberger.