British artist Conrad Shawcross has created an extraordinary mechanical artwork called "The Nervous System (Umbilical)" (2025), a massive rope-making machine that uses 40 motorized rotating arms to weave umbilical-like cords. The monumental sculptural device, standing 10 meters high and 12 meters wide, made its debut at Here East in London on September 11th, 2025, where it will remain on display through November 2nd, 2025.
The impressive machine represents the latest addition to Shawcross's long-running "Rope Makers" project, which explores how mechanical devices can create rope through intricate patterns of movement. Originally commissioned by the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania, the artwork is making a temporary stop in London before being permanently installed in Australia by 2027.
Constructed from metal, timber, and various mechanical components in the artist's Hackney studio, the machine functions both as a sculpture and a working device. Its 40 interlocking rotating arms move around a central point, with each arm carrying a spool of fibers that are twisted and woven together to form continuous rope. The process is based on traditional rope-making techniques but operates on a much larger and more complex scale.
Unlike conventional rope production, where several threads are spun together under tension, Shawcross's machine multiplies this process exponentially. The 40 arms rotate in different orbits, each moving at slightly different speeds and directions. As they turn, they twist and combine the threads into a single rope that grows from the center, creating an umbilical-like cord from industrial fibers.
The arms are connected through a sophisticated network of gears, motors, and joints, all programmed to move in specific cycles that never fully repeat. This means every moment of the weaving process is unique, ensuring that no two sections of the rope are created in exactly the same way. Over time, small variations in the arms' movements—caused by mechanical shifts, timing differences, or minor errors—become visible in the rope's texture and pattern.
The machine's design draws inspiration from celestial mechanics, with each arm representing a planetary orbit and the central rope symbolizing the sun's path through the galaxy. The spools move around one another in complex, overlapping loops, mimicking how celestial bodies travel through space. This creates a system-like structure resembling a solar system, but constructed from gears and spools rather than planets and stars.
The London exhibition also features two other mechanical artworks from Shawcross's earlier work: "Yarn" (2001) and "Ode to the Difference Engine" (2007). Both pieces, constructed from oak with mechanical systems, remain on-site alongside Umbilical, continuously weaving cords and ropes using their own motorized and mechanical arms for visitors to observe.
The Rope Makers series began over a decade ago when Shawcross first discussed the concept with David Walsh, MONA's founder. The artist developed the idea through extensive mechanical studies and built several smaller rope-making machines before creating this monumental version. "The Nervous System (Umbilical)" represents a continuation of this artistic exploration but incorporates significantly more advanced engineering than its predecessors.
Once the London exhibition concludes, the mechanical sculpture will be disassembled and shipped to MONA in Hobart, Tasmania, where it will be permanently installed in its own dedicated atrium. The machine is designed to operate continuously once installed, stopping only once annually to change its spools. The rope will slowly accumulate beneath the machine, creating a growing archive of time where every section can be linked to a specific period during the machine's operation.
The creation of "The Nervous System (Umbilical)" involved collaboration with engineers and fabricators at Structure Workshop and Brier Solutions, while TM Lighting provided the specialized lighting for the installation. This ambitious project demonstrates Shawcross's continued exploration of the intersection between art, engineering, and the passage of time, offering viewers a unique opportunity to witness the mechanical poetry of rope-making on an unprecedented scale.
