Would you take a survey about the Artwork? Click this Link: “TRANSMOGRIFIER 1: 2025” SURVEY
Transmogrifier Pyramid 1 is a playful, participatory sculpture inspired by the beloved Calvin & Hobbes comics from Bill Watterson. Borrowing from Calvin’s iconic cardboard box Transmogrifier, this work imagines a contemporary, contemplative version of that device that might inspire change too. Visitors are invited to sit, follow simple steps, and become their best self through attraction or release. This Art asks one to believe in a process and consider whether intention alone might connect with, heal, and subtly transform the Self.
I have been experimenting with cast resonance pyramid design for some time. In 2025 I was invited to contribute to a gallery show titled Young Hearts Run Free, curated by Dail Chambers, at the Red Gate Gallery in Clayton, Missouri.
This theme sparked in my mind the image of the young boy and stuffed tiger hurtling around, exploring and learning in life. Maybe you remember the red wagon flying down impossible hills in the forest to jump crazy creeks and crash in happy bliss, then do it again. Perhaps you might recall the infamous game of CalvinBall. This still boggles and tickles my mind! My childhood and pre-digital life was greatly influenced by these comic strips. I think I read them every day that I had a newspaper subscription at my parents house. I sometimes bought the newspaper in my early adulthood just to read the comics in hope they were there. I learned that the characters were inspired by the philosophies of John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes. There is so much to unpack! I am going to have to read all the comics again and I will really enjoy it. I love that there is incredible depth and hidden meaning in such simple, fun frivolity as the comics show.
In a fascinating display of omnipresence, Pyramids appear across cultures and history as fundamental geometric forms. They are often associated with meditation, resonance, and spiritual alignment. This installation draws on those traditions through a Nubian pyramid-shaped copper frame, crowned with a cast resin apex embedded with metals and minerals of selenite, barite, and quartz. Inside the structure, a simple wooden seat rests on a tiger-striped felt rug, while braided red-and-black cord defines the boundary and a tasseled black cord marks the threshold between outside and within. These cords hang from quartz crystal and resin arrangements mechanically attached to the frame. A freestanding sign base is also cast from resin, metal, and minerals. The sign identifies the Transmogrifier and offers gentle instructions for use.
Color, material, and symbolism are woven together to honor the original comic strip characters. The sign’s design echoes the original cardboard device with instructions shaped and colored as Calvin’s iconic blonde hair, eyes, and red, black, and white outfit. Tribute to Hobbes is found in the the tiger-striped rug and paw-print graphics. In the original strip, a child’s imagination turns a cardboard box into a portal for becoming something new. Transmogrifier Pyramid 1 is that idea grown up, but not grown out of play. This Artwork offers a quiet, humorous, and hopeful space where transformation remains possible, if only we allow ourselves to believe.
Some keywords to read about to understand my thought behind this manifestation of form and function: Global Pyramids, Sacred Geometry, Calvin and Hobbes Comic, Bill Watterson, John Calvin, Thomas Hobbes, Omnism, Panpsychism, Resonance, Pyramid Meditation, Personal Development, Personal Transformation.
Do you know about the “Calvin & Hobbes” Comic? An excellent overview can be found at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_and_Hobbes.
Click on the images below to see larger versions.
Specific Material List: PYRAMID FRAME: Copper pipe, Lead free flux, Solder; Copper wire; PYRAMID CAP: Low VOX epoxy resin; Shavings of Bismuth, Copper, Brass, and Aluminum; Glitter of 24kt edible Gold; Crystals of Selenite, Barite (gathered in Colorado), and White Quartz (gathered in Arkansas); Cast metal turtle totem; SIGN: Plastic, Metal rods; SIGN BASE: Copper pipe, Copper wire, Miscellaneous Quartz and Stones gathered while traveling, Cast metal turtle totem, Glitter Stars, Glitter of 24kt edible Gold, Laminated paper and cardstock with printer ink.
