Through research into prototypical drawing machines, several experiments into designing devices were carried out. Inspired by analog drawing machines that use pendulums as their source of power and direction, such as the harmonograph, a box-framed housing, and pendulum were created. In order to continuously develop and alter the machine, it was designed as a modular system with laser-cut masonite panels that could easily be rearranged and reassembled. Through several iterations of parts and construction methods, Magnet Machine v01 was developed from this modular housing and various store-bought and 3D-printed hardware. The resulting device consists of an interchangeable tray suspended beneath a swinging pendulum weighted at the bottom with masonite rings and supported by a removable gimbal joint.

Magnet Machine v01 utilizes a bed of magnets laid out in various arrangements on trays with specifically oriented polarities to divert a magnetized pendulum. By releasing the pendulum from differing points, variable results were achieved from the same bed arrangement. By changing the bed arrangement and pattern of magnets, the path of the pendulum from the same release point was altered dramatically. In each experiment, either four, eight, or twelve circular weights were used at the bottom of the pendulum, changing the intensity of the effect the magnets had on the motion of the pendulum. In order to record the trajectory, movement, and speed of each release, a small light was attached to the top of the pendulum. Long exposure photographs taken from the top of the machine then captured the information of each trial, creating dynamic drawings with light. Due to the force inflicted upon the pendulum by the magnets, the results differ immensely from traditional pendulum-based drawing machines. The following matrices document diverse possible outputs and the impact of each of the four variables presented by the machine: magnet tray arrangement, release point, release direction, and the number of weights used.

In order to understand machine output as architecture, one of the long-exposure photographs was interpreted as a section. By positioning it on a ground plane and adding people and context, a sense of scale emerges. The main concentration of light is understood as an enclosed space at the center of the structure while the looping rings become a series of external ramps.