The sculpture will consist of two separate objects, which will be installed adjacently in the same gallery space. The first object is a large welded steel sphere, covered with numerous forged steel rods, treated in such a way as to resemble roots or tentacles. The sphere will rest on four short, machined steel struts welded to its base. The second object is to be a large marquee arrow sign, complete with an array of incandescent lights, featuring the sculpture's title crisply cut out of each side. The arrow will be suspended from a steel frame, resembling a roadside signpost, with the head of the arrow pointing at the center mass of the sphere. Inside each of these two pieces will be a microcontroller configured with electronic hardware that will produce a change in the sculpture based on audience interactions and changes in the gallery environment.

The primary object of this installation is a 40-inch diameter steel sphere with hot-formed steel round bars welded to its surface. The sphere will be fabricated using two A414 Grade C carbon steel hemispherical tank heads welded together using the GTAW or GMAW process. The forged round bar will be of A36 carbon steel that will be heated and twisted until an organic from is achieved. These steel bars will then be joined to the exterior of the sphere using the GMAW process. As previously suggested, the sphere will rest on four legs made of machined steel. These leg struts will be lathe turned to a taper of 15 degrees, with a rubber pad at the floor. The total weight of the sphere before the forged bars are joined will be 380 pounds. Additional weight resulting from the steel tentacles and struts will be no more than 200 pounds, for a total of 580 pounds. The sphere will retain its natural bluish hot oxide patina with some slightly rusted areas. To maintain this natural color after fabrication processes, a tool black spray application followed by rinsing and environmental oxidation will be used. All sharp edges on the forged steel elements will be softened with abrasives.

The secondary object will be a large marquee arrow sign fabricated from welded and painted aluminum. The arrow will measure 6-feet in length and will be suspended from a painted aluminum framework by two lengths of wire rope. The arrow will be controlled by a microprocessor that will switch an array of relays wired between groups of low output lights and their power supply. Light behavior will appear erratic at times and at other times it will follow a regular pattern according to a software script. The lights themselves will vary in actual output wattage, size, and color to give the marquee a dilapidated, or at least poorly maintained appearance.

Interactivity will be enabled via a pair of microprocessors, one installed inside the arrow, with the other in a circuitry compartment in the sphere. An optical sensor on the arrow will detect gallery viewers in the space as they breach the space between the point of the arrow and the steel sphere. Upon viewer detection, the computer will adjust the arrow's light behaviors according to several coded scripts. Device control for alternating current will occur through solid state relays. The interior of the sphere will also contain electronic and mechanical components that will provide reactive behavior. One microprocessor will provide logic, receiving input from a sensor that will detect even a gentle touch to the sphere or its appendages. The sphere's processor will send control voltage to a group of relay switches that will drive several solenoid devices that will click against the inside surface of the sphere. The pair of processors will relay data to one another through a simple wireless network allowing motion detected by the arrow's optical sensor to produce an effect inside the sphere. In turn, the microcontroller inside the sphere can produce a change in the flashing lights of the arrow when a viewer touches the sphere.

The subjects explored in this work range from investigations into the nature of a sculpture's status, to details articulating metaphoric expressions of perception and reaction. This new proposed sculpture is a continuation of a previous body of work, which subjects traditional sculptural practices to the rigors of profane cultural systems that, under normal circumstances, would be in conflict with fine arts ideals. This is achieved by creating an autonomous sculpture, which is then installed in a space with another object that modifies its meaning. This relationship denatures the sculpture and assigns it a new and enriched set of properties. The Big ball of Ouch will operate within these parameters, with the dialogue between the individual objects becoming the focus of the work.