The mountain on a light oak desk beside a keyboard and a white mug, Sisyphus at the foot of the trail with the boulder raised over his head

Interactive Sisyphus

Push his boulder up the trail. Let go, and it rolls back into his hands.

One climb, from the inside.

Boulder raised, feet braced.

Sisyphus stands 1.2 in tall on a ledge below the trail, the boulder resting just above his palms. This is where it always ends up.

Your finger does the climbing.

Push the boulder and it rides up the trail on a 28° arc, 1.0 mm clear of the rock the whole way, so it never scrapes.

Never quite the summit.

A stop catches it just before the point where it could balance. Let go anywhere along the way and it starts back down.

A swing arm in the dark.

The mountain is hollow. The boulder sits on the tip of an arm that pivots on an axle below it, so its weight always leans downhill.

Gravity takes it back.

Let go and the arm swings down, slowly near the top and faster as it falls, the way a real boulder would roll.

Back where it started.

The arm lands on a stop in the base, not on him, and the boulder settles just off his raised hands. Push it again. He is ready.

Side on, the full profile of the mountain: the trail's curve over the crest, the crag peak at the far end, Sisyphus pushing at the near end

Up close

6.3 × 3.7 × 3.9 in and 4.1 oz, small enough for the corner of a desk or a shelf you pass every day. That is the point: it sits within reach, and a finger finds it between one thing and the next.

The mountain on a white bookshelf beside a stack of linen-covered books and a small succulent, in warm lamp light
On the shelf, between the books and the plant. He doesn't mind the company.
Looking down on the mountain with the boulder pushed to the top of the trail, the slot it rides in visible behind it
From above, pushed to the top: the slot in the trail is all you see of the arm.

Always on the downhill side.

The crest of the trail is a circle drawn around the hidden axle, so the boulder keeps the same 1.0 mm gap over the rock for all 28° of its climb.

The axle sits below the boulder, so its weight never stops pulling it back toward him: hardest at his hands, gentlest near the summit, where a stop keeps it from ever finding its balance.

Drag the boulder up the trail, then let go.

Slice through the mountain along the trail: the hollow shell, the base with its axle and two stops, the swing arm carrying the boulder, and Sisyphus on his ledge
A slice down the middle of the mountain, drawn from the model: the hollow shell, the arm on its axle, and the two stops on the base that limit its swing.
The boulder held at the top of the trail, just short of the summit, Sisyphus empty-handed below it
Pushed as far as it goes. Take your finger away and it comes straight back down to him.

Interactive Sisyphus

One mountain, one man, one boulder, and a swing arm you never see.

1
hollow mountain, weathered sandstone, the trail cut into its crest
1
Sisyphus, 1.2 in tall, arms raised
1
boulder, 0.9 in across, with the swing arm that carries it
1
base, holding the axle and both stops
Size
6.3 × 3.7 × 3.9 in (W × D × H)
Weight
4.1 oz
Material
PLA
Boulder
0.9 in across
Travel
28°, from his hands to just short of the summit
Power
None: your finger up, gravity down
The mountain from behind on a pale stone windowsill, a glass of water beside it in soft daylight

Good to know

Does it need batteries?

No. Nothing in it is powered. Your finger sends the boulder up, and gravity acting on the hidden swing arm brings it back.

Can the boulder fall off the mountain?

No. It is held on the tip of the swing arm inside the mountain, and two stops on the base limit it to 28° of travel, from his hands to just short of the summit.

Does the boulder hit Sisyphus on the way back?

No. The arm comes to rest against a stop on the base, so the boulder settles just off his palms and he never takes the knock.

What is it made of, and how big is it?

PLA. It measures 6.3 × 3.7 × 3.9 in and weighs 4.1 oz, sized for a desk or a shelf.