Bet you haven't seen one of these before! For something different I thought I'd bring on a series of sculptural kaleidoscopes I've made over the years. This one here is made from a carved marble base with a brass body and cast glass "wheel's". These are generally not kiddy toys, but they are still lots of fun to play with. With this piece you remove the brass barrel and point it up to a light source, and then spin the glass pieces at the front to create something magical.
I have called this one "The Messenger" since the marble base seems to have a wing-like shape going on, as if from an angelic source. Really, when I first started creating these I was totally transported by the concept of putting any mix of jumbled "chaos" in front of a three part mirror system, and having it transformed into brilliant beauty and order when pointed at a light source. I felt like I stumbled upon a rather profound metaphor and just couldn't shake it. And so the series began. This is certainly not the first one I made, in fact I have no clue the order of original production or the order you will get them in!
Anyway, enjoy! And let me know if you have memories of fiddling with a favourite kaleidoscope of some kind.
Low tech toys are still awesome!