Arthur Ganson
He has invented mass-produced children's toys, and hosts an annual competition to make Rube Goldberg chain reaction machines.
This curious apparatus appeared in "Muffy's Art Attack", an episode of the animated children's series Arthur, where it was compared to "the tragicomic works of Samuel Beckett – a tiny figure forever yoked to its burden of absurdity".
[7] Ganson and his wife, Chehalis Hegner, create collaborative works such as He and She, a kinetic sculpture that interacts with a photograph whereby a mechanical arm with a feather at the end of it tenderly caresses the toes of the female figure seated on a table.
In addition to his artistic productions, Ganson is also the inventor of Toobers & Zots, a commercial toy-set consisting of bendable foam pieces in abstract shapes that can be assembled into almost anything.
[further explanation needed] From 1999 to 2019, Ganson was the emcee ("ringleader") of the annual "Friday After Thanksgiving" (FAT) competition sponsored by the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Teams of contestants construct elaborate Rube Goldberg style chain-reaction machines on tables arranged around a large gymnasium.
The initial string is ceremonially pulled, and the ensuing events are videotaped in closeup, and simultaneously projected on large screens for viewing by the live audience.
The entire event was inspired in 1997, when Ganson saw the film The Way Things Go, by Swiss artists Fischli & Weiss, which portrayed an elaborate chain reaction setup, constructed using ordinary household items and materials.
