Table Spiral

Description

The Table Spiral began as a prototype for the giant flying spiral section of the Giant Marble Machine - Drag Race. The team needed to figure out how to use continuous PEX piping to form a stable marble track, testing spacing and angles until we found the sweet spot. During testing, something unexpected happened: people couldn't stop playing with it. The prototype brought so much excitement and laughter that we decided to build it out as a standalone installation durable enough to survive a festival weekend. It debuted in the "pink playground" area encircled by the first Giant Marble Machine installation.

The Table Spiral stands eight feet across and five feet tall. Visitors grab a one-foot diameter marble from the ball return encircling the table and simply push it onto the top of the spiral. People experimented constantly—launching marbles fast, slow, or two at a time just to see what would happen. The PEX piping doubled as an excellent diffuser for addressable LED lights, sending pulses of blue and red light chasing the marbles down the spiral. The satisfying *thunk* when the marble bounces off the table and back into the ball return delighted audiences young and old.

The Table Spiral was built tough for outdoor use, but its eight-foot diameter made transport and storage challenging. It was disassembled in 2023, with many components finding new life in other projects. The design could be rebuilt at a smaller scale without too much difficulty if the right opportunity came along.

Gallery

Videos

Technical Details

• Dimensions: 8 feet diameter x 5 feet tall
• Materials: PEX piping, structural lumber, one-foot diameter marbles (upcycled light covers)
• Interactivity: Manual marble launch with gravity-driven spiral descent
• Technology: Addressable LED strip lighting integrated into PEX track
• Fabrication Time: 2 months
• Status: Retired in 2023, components repurposed for other projects

Placements

• Ingenuity Bal, Cleveland, OH - May 2023
• First Giant Marble Machine Installation - 2022

Status

The Table Spiral was disassembled in 2023 due to transport and storage constraints. The design proved successful and could be rebuilt at a more manageable scale for future installations. Components from the original installation have been repurposed into other Big Fun Creative projects.

Team