KO Sticks LLC - You Need These Next-Level Geometric Sculptures by John Kostick


Being a modern minimalist, I have been captivated by gold star bursts and metal sculptures for as long as I can remember

But it turns out I have expensive taste. This gold urchin chandelier is $499.00, a starburst chandlier checks out at $1,559.00 before shipping, handling and taxes, and the 12-Light Midcentury Modern Moonbeam Chandelier in Antique Brass is a mere $1,920.00. Gulp.

I want a metal star that stands out but that won't break my budget. As much as I admire this Wall Pom Urchin, it's over $1K price point is outta my league, as is this starbust sculpture.

Craving that streamlined metal as desktop art pieces, I went in search for something beautiful I could actually afford.

I found it all in KO Sticks LLC Foldable Star Sculptures in bronze, handmade by John Kostick.

It was during his time at Brandeis as a Physics student that John discovered a concept called Tensegrity:

"In these models, struts, or sticks, are suspended from each other by a network of tension members, such as strings, or wires. The sticks do not collide or intersect, but are coupled together by tension as they pass by each other. Thus symmetry and structural integrity are resultants of the assemblage of simple linear components, tension and compression, push and pull. The sparsity of this kind of definition of spatial form was very appealing to me."

Me too. 

Not only are Ko Sticks Stars stunning to look at, these geometric wire sculptures feel so good all folded up in your hand. Then what follows is sheer joy - pulling it apart, intact mind you, into a beautiful full star.  Interactive and contemplative - the idea of tension and how it plays out in our lives, in good ways and bad  - these sculptures aren't just art. They are reflections of life, symbols of something much bigger than us, making them a precious gift for either yourself or someone else. 

Carl Sagan wrote, “The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 

Pretty heady stuff.

Perhaps that's why these stable, yet flexible, these spatially symmetrical foldable star sculptures are so magical.

Available in a variety of shapes and styles - Foldable Six-Axis Star, Foldable Tetraxis Star and Sixteen-Axis Star, you can choose to have them in bronze or silicon bronze and from 4 to 14 inches in height. The bronze has a wonderful softness, allowing it to feel at home no matter what your look or decor, so you don't have to be a modern minimalist like me for them to suit your look.

I am truly captivated by their striking appearance, but I'm also enamoured by the thought and work that went into them. These are more than just simply wires tossed together; they're carefully constructed ruminations. 

See, they come with a a little bit of built-in therapy, you know. You  will rush to pick them up and expand, contract, and slowly pull each one apart again. As your hands work away, you mind will relax and wonder. You'll remember things you had no idea you still had stored in there. You'll re-discover your creativity, find solutions for problems that were eating away at you. What a rhapsodic feeling. 

Built with mathematical intelligence and grace, these fascinating, elegant structures were made with basic tools and techniques. But it takes a true craftsman like John to create such beauty from just metal.

As if that weren't enough, they are affordable too - starting at just $24 each.

I can't think of a better gift. Shop Ko Sticks Stars now.

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