3491

Oskar van Deventer

Bridges

2019

Mechanical puzzles are typically not recognized as art. After all, they are functional objects and moreover, how can a $10 plastic toy be art? Yet, mechanical puzzles have both intellectual and material aesthetics that are appreciated by connoisseurs and can give strong emotional experiences to the solver, all characteristics of fine art. This paper will provide examples of my puzzle designs where the resulting puzzle/object, the design process or both require the overcoming of difficulty. And some of them happen to look nice as well.