Monocono is a do-it-yourself kinetic and programmed artwork. It is a USB powered electronic kit featuring digitally fabricated parts and a programmable board. A potentiometer controls the speed of a small motor that drives two rods and creates the effect of a virtual conic volume. Monocono is a derivative kinetic artwork inspired to Esacono, a translation of the concept that generated the series Strutturazioni cilindriche virtuali by Giovanni Anceschi (1963–1966). The Esacono concept is described in issue no. 22 of the magazine il verri, but it was never produced due to the constraints of technology of the period. It is a cube suspended by one corner which has six motors embedded into each side.

The motors drive two rotating rods that draw six truncated cone shapes in space, creating virtual volumes. The speed varies from motor to motor, and as a consequence so does the MONOCONO effect of the six shapes drawn in the air at the sides of the hanging cube.

In 2015, Esacono has been realized within the project Re-programmed art, a research-action aiming at open sourcing and rediscovering kinetic and programmed art today.

The kit was designed to enable anyone to recreate it’s own kinetic sculpture, and to discuss about the meaning of Open Sourcing an Art piece, thus allowing anyone to make copies of it. Special attention was given to the design of the PCB, that had to be easy to assemble also for kids and non technical people.

To make your own Monocono, visit www.github.com/casajasmina/monocono Released under CC license BY SA 4.0