Biomechanical Sculptures are Part Mammal, Part Machine

By Lauren Davis, 8:20 AM on Tue Aug 25 2009, 2,326 views (Edit, to draft, Slurp)

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Ron Bell's osteomechanical sculptures resemble relics from some long-abandoned science experiment, combining bones with handmade mechanical parts as if to reanimate the skeletons or draw power from their marrow.

Bell's series "Osteomechanics" and "Crania Mechanica," integrate animal bones into imagined machinery. With the heavy use of brass and electrical prongs, they have a steampunk feel, but Bell's core inspiration comes from 18th Century scientist Luigi Galvani, who experimented with delivering an electrical spark to animal muscles. The sculptures are supposed to evoke a sense of mystery, leaving the viewer to wonder at the era and person that gave rise to these strange little machines, and what scientific problem they were meant to solve.

International Museum of Surgical Science Current Exhibitions [Myspace]
Ron Bell's Osteomechanics and Osteomechanics 2 [Packer Schopf Gallery]