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The Kid Should See This

How does Michael Grab make impossible rock structures?

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Michael Grab balances impossible rock structures with gravity, practice, and patience. No glue. No hidden tricks. No additional supports.

Grab is a professional rock balancer, and he’s spent over a decade improving this skill. His work started getting the internet’s attention just a few years after he started pursuing the art form in earnest. How does he make these impressive temporary sculptures? “He always works backward, picking the final rocks first. The bigger the top rock, the more impossible the structure will look when he lets go.”

Please note, however, that Grab always knocks down his heavy, precarious sculptures after he photographs them. He wants to make sure that no animals or people are injured by them.

balanced rock sculpture
In this Wired Obsessed video, he demonstrates how he picks rocks, and then makes diligent micro-adjustments as he stacks and holds them in place. His goal: Find their centers of mass to build freestanding structures that exist anywhere from a few seconds to a few days (if it’s protected and not out in the wild).

balancing rocks
testing the rock structure with water
See more of Grab’s work at GravityGlue.com.

And in case you missed it in 2014, watch Gravity Glue: Balanced rock sculptures by Michael Grab on TKSST.

Then watch more videos about balance:
• How to Make Balancing Sculptures
How many nails can you balance on the head of one nail?
Balance: Rigolo Swiss Nouveau Cirque artist Maedir Eugster
Balanced bottle sculptures by balancing artist Rocky Byun

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