Simon Cavanough

Australian sculptor Simon Cavanough’s sculptures assemble a bricolage of mechanical components—bodily tubes, industrial cogs, and spindles—into whimsical forms that evoke lightness and flight. In 2000, as part of the project I’m Going Higher Than I’ve Ever Gone Before, he attempted to build and launch his own rocket. Reflecting on its failure to leave the ground, he wrote: “In a world in which engineering makes anything seem possible, failure furnished me with a personality.”