Kinetic Koi — Swimming, Turning & Wagging in Motion

My third project (2025–2026) in the kinetic creature series is one in water. Instead of making a single animal move, I wanted to experiment for two creatures to move together. Inspired by the Taiji Double-Fish Diagram, I designed two mechanical koi that move their heads, tails, and fins while circling in a pond.

The two koi are mounted on a rotating platform. As they circle the center, a system of gears and levers turns their circular motion into movements of their heads, fins, and tails.

I wanted this work to be both mechanically interesting and visually appealing. I gave the koi vibrant colors, rather than traditional black-and-white Taiji colors, so they stand out against the epoxy-resin “water” plates.