rope-making machine by conrad shawcross weaves umbilical-like cords with motorized 'arms'

"Conrad Shawcross creates The Nervous System (Umbilical) (2025), a large mechanical and rope-machine artwork that weaves umbilical-like cords with motorized arms. On view for the first time at Here East in London between September 11th and November 2nd, 2025, the rope-making sculptural machine is part of the British artist's long-running project called Rope Makers, which explores how machines can make rope through complex patterns of movement."

"The rope-making machine is both a sculpture and a functioning device, standing 10 meters high and 12 meters wide. It is made from metal, timber, and mechanical parts, all assembled in the artist's studio in Hackney, London. The design has 40 interlocking rotating arms that move around a central point, and each arm carries a spool with fibers, twisted and woven together to form a long rope."

"The machine works based on how traditional rope is made, but on a much larger and more complex scale. In a normal rope-making process, several threads are spun together while they are pulled tight, creating tension that keeps the rope strong and consistent. In the artist's machine, this process is multiplied and expanded, with 40 arms rotating in different orbits, each moving at a slightly different speed and direction. As they turn, they twist and combine the threads into a single rope"

Conrad Shawcross's The Nervous System (Umbilical) (2025) is a large mechanical rope-making sculpture that weaves umbilical-like cords using motorized arms. The device stands 10 meters high and 12 meters wide and is constructed from metal, timber, and mechanical parts assembled in Hackney, London. The design features 40 interlocking, rotating arms each carrying a fiber-loaded spool; arms move in different orbits and at slightly different speeds and directions to twist and combine threads into a single rope. The piece multiplies traditional rope-making processes on a larger, more complex scale. The work was commissioned by MONA in Tasmania and will be permanently installed in Australia after a temporary display at Here East between September 11th and November 2nd, 2025.

Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine