Travis Schattle, PE
My name is Travis Schattle and I am an engineer, designer, and artist.
I have enjoyed creating things for as long as I can remember. I grew up building with erector sets and k’nex, disassembling household appliances to see how they work, and tinkering with small electronics. As I got older, I took up woodworking as a hobby and learned to love the craft. I like learning how to work with different materials and fabrication methods so that I can continue to build my experience. Simply put: I just enjoy making things.
I studied civil engineering in school and worked for years to obtain my professional engineering license. While I have enjoyed my time and experience as an engineering consultant, I recently decided to use my engineering background to design and build art that moves, otherwise known as kinetic art.
I enjoy the process of creating art through an engineering mindset. I love the process of turning an idea into a physical creation, with all the steps and missteps along the way. I use CAD tools to design mechanisms and utilize various CNC tools to fabricate complicated parts. Although it does not feel very artistic when I am calculating gear ratios or entering project dimensions into a spreadsheet, the results of tedious mechanical design are often beautiful. I am drawn to designs where the mechanical elements used to create motion are a prominent feature in the artwork.
There are many challenges to overcome when designing and building kinetic artwork, which requires that the design functions continuously as the various project components move. As energy is exchanged through the system, forces change and new issues such as vibration and friction must be accounted for. There is a beautiful juxtaposition between the rigidness of engineering, and the unfettered nature of art. The challenge of balancing these two opposing concepts is what makes creating kinetic art exciting.
Locomotion Creations was founded in a pursuit of a dream. I want to build things that inspire people. I aim to design creative and captivating artwork that makes people question how it works. My path forward with this venture is everchanging, but I am driven by curiosity and dedicated to this journey. I hope that you will join me on this adventure to explore where engineering and art meet.
I have joined the Experiential Engineering Education Department at Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering in Glassboro, NJ. I work with a talented group of educators and teach First-Year Engineering Clinic, which focuses on hands-on, project-based learning to introduce engineering to students.
I am happy to be working in an environment where I get to share some lessons that I have learned in my journey, and get to draw inspiration from student’s creativity in the classroom.