Review: The Metal Sand Side Table by Sisyphus

The Sisyphus Industries Kinetic Art Table Hardwood Furniture brings a remarkable mood to any living area. It features dimmable LEDs with the option of hot white or natural white light. As a result, this Kinetic art furniture makes a remarkable ambiance that will match any home. It also creates a soft lighted setting without the need for an extra lamp. At the top of the table is a metal ball within the frame. This silently rolls via the sand to create charming, mesmerizing patterns. As a result, this work of art would not disappoint anyone. Actually, it is a wonderful way to relax in the comfort of your own home. Say goodbye to boring and dull tables and go for one with a wow factor.

The Artist Sisyphus Table

The art table is carefully structured and assembled by Bruce Shapiro. The official website gives a detailed bio on his broad imaginative and specialized aptitude. This includes twenty-five years of making active artistry for galleries everywhere, all through the world. He is the first person to present Kinetic art and work on different operational craftsmanship models. Various parts of these tables can be configured differently to accommodate your likings and home highlights. The organization’s building site is supportive and straightforward to flip via the different substitutes in planning out a kinetic art table for its consumers. This would be the same as how it is done with customizing a vehicle. The site provides an image of what those substitutes might look like, to perceive what might arrive should you press the purchase button.

How it Works

The 2 motor robots continually move a ball magnetically via a thin layer of sand under a thick table top piece of glass, forming the patterns. Users can control the patterns and movement within an app downloaded to your phone. The tables of these pieces of Kinetic beauty are made on a 12VDC universal switching supply to power both the Sisbot and LED. A single AC power cord plugs into a standard outlet. Each table is hand-crafted and double checked for quality and kinetic control. They have many standard sizes for users to to pick from that will be sure to fit  the style and decorations of your home or office. This specific end table is 2 feet in diameter and stands 22″ tall; there are both 3 and 4 foot diameter coffee tables as well. The veneers are traditional woods, such as maple, birch, walnut, and padauk – all CNC machined and hand finished to perfection.

Quality and Installation

Glass does not inspire confidence forever when it comes to durability, however, Sisyphus takes pride in their testing and manufacturing of each product. They makes sure that every table is sturdy and properly assembled before shipping out. The only things a customer would need to do when receiving their table, is to add the sand, which is included, follow the directions for spreading it around and then install the glass top. The glass for the table top is separated from the rest of the furniture pieces and carefully wrapped and placed into the shipping box with padding. When installing, Sisyphus has included small (but easily missed) rubber pads, that go between the glass and the table frame. Be sure to install those four pieces before placing the glass down on the metal surface. Placing down glass on direct metal, could cause scratches, cracks, and possibly injury to yourself. The rubber pads give a small cushion between both hard surfaces.

Inside the wooden body of the Sisyphus side table where the sand is added, users will place the metal ball directly in the center. The white sand is very much like fine sand from a beach or the type of sand you might view in some Zen gardens, little and big alike. In essence, the literal and figurative soul of the Sisyphus is a miniature Japanese sand garden enclosed in a wooden basin and topped with clear glass, that keeps the sand from seeping out onto your carpet or furniture. But unlike a typical Zen garden where you would use a rake or fork to make circles, a little metal ball rolls peacefully across the white desert, leaving a trail of art in its wake. It is simply mesmerizing, beautiful and quietly peaceful.

LED Lighting and Kinetic Playlist

All the electronics required to make the table work are, luckily, already pre-installed. The RGBW LED lighting around the insides of the tables, to the motors, circuit boards, and magnets that make the ball move are all 100% installed, and ready to go out of the box. The electronics and mechanisms are fully exposed for simple access when needing to change or repair something in the software. This makes it simple to update the Sisbot in the future. Preparing and maintaining a Sisyphus table is actually not like your normal table, it will need proper care and updates like any piece of technology. These small firmware and software improvements only take a few minutes, and the primary results of having this unique table are really worth it, once you get the ball rolling, figuratively and literally. All of these mechanisms and parts are hidden from view, once the table is setup properly. The only thing admirers will be able to see, is a beautiful masterpiece, being creating by an invisible artist.

The Sisyphus metal sand side table comes with 1000+ tracks of pre-programmed pathways to create kinetic artwork. There are no buttons or switches on the table to turn it off or on, it just continues running. Inside the IOS or Android app, users can turn it off and on, setup times for it to go to sleep and wake up, etc. The playlist of kinetic art is controllable over a Wi-Fi connection. The mobile app lets you pick your favorite designs, prepare a customized list, replace the velocity, stop the kinetic artwork, and change the table lighting. It is even possible to make your own personal designs through the app or by using design software on the computer and then sending the files to the table.

Final Thoughts

While there are lots of side tables with minimalist designs that have artistic patterns making fun visuals, most of these have fixed blueprints that do not grow along with their owner’s needs and tastes. In contrast, Sisyphus does not simply provide a Kinetic Art installation at your home; it lets owners tell their own experience, permitting their creativity to flow inside the table, drawn on fine sand by a magical metal ball.

Bruce Shapiro has dedicated the past twenty-five years exploring motion control as a medium for artistic expression. Using this dedicated technology, he has made art installation pieces all around the world. The metal sand side table by Sisyphus is the first of its type, a museum-quality kinetic art sculpturing showpiece, for your home or office. It works through a wifi linked magnetic robot, moving a steel ball over a bed of sand that permits users to curate and make incredibly detailed designs right from the Sisyphus app. Sisyphus is not just kinetic artwork, it is also a piece of furniture, sculpted and useful. The “tracks” it plays are a vital part of the overall experience with any Sisyphus products. Much like a musical instrument may be nice to look at, if no one actually plays the instrument, it is not being used to its full potential. 

The Metal Sand Side Table by Sisyphus using kinetic art works like magic and comes in different finishes; Black Metal, Cherry, and Walnut. While any personal, hand crafted furniture merged with technology will have a slightly higher price tag than basic pieces, the base price of this table is $1,497 and can be found at the Official Website for purchase HERE.