Hypersphaerae anuli

Hypersphaera anuli

Ringed Superball

Although many companies selling this bouncy ball or similar designs often call this a "striped" ball.  At the I.S.S., H anuli has been classified as "ringed," because the lines/stripes run longitudinally parallel to the equatorial center line or axis where the two halves are joined in the mold.  Additionally, two pink dots sit at each pole of the sphere, further emphasizing its orientation and, thus, influencing the categorization.  

This ball features concentric rings of primary and secondary colors (green, red, and blue) embedded in a regularly spaced, loose pattern within a dominant skin of smooth, matte yellow rubber with pink at its poles/center circles.  This is a particularly dense and hard style of ball due to its composition and construction.  The matte finish allows for oxidization and aging of the surface, which dulls the vibrance and can take on dirt and oils.  The variations of color and pattern beyond this base yellow color ball have not yet been accepted in the anuli class and will be considered in the future.  (Photo courtesy of Headwater Media.)

Hypersphaera anuli

2014

An assemblage of balls created for the collaborative exhibition, Bounce!, at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh

Mounted on salvaged wood with home-made black-walnut stain and metal nameplate. 

Photo courtesy of Headwater Media,

©2020 Henry J. Simonds

Hypersphaerae variscia

Hypersphaerae variscia

Embellished Variscite Superball

Variscite is an end-member of the isomorphic row of variscite-strengite series of minerals. Like the garnet and feldspar groups, variscite-strengite minerals have an identical crystalline structure, but exhibit slightly varying composition. Owing to variscite's unique mode of occurrence, it is often formed and associated with other phosphate minerals, resulting in interesting veining, splotches and other coloring habits. Although all variscite is valued by collectors, emerald-green variscite from Utah and the black spider-webbed variscite from Nevada are among the most desirable.  Variscite may also be found in colors other than green, such as purple, orange, pink, red, brown or yellow.  If materials contain less iron than aluminum in their composition, reddish to violet colors will dominate.  Higher iron impurities will bring out more brownish tones.  (Source: https://www.gemselect.com/english/gem-info/variscite/variscite-info.php.)

H variscia specimens, like their namesake mineral, can be found in colors ranging from green to blue to red and pink, featuring the same veining of variegated "mineral deposits" and metallic gold and silver striations.  These elements are found both upon the subsurface of the colored core and in the clear coating of the skin as ribbons of pigment and materials.  These are—again, like their namesake mineral cousins—some of the most beautiful sphaeralogical species found.

Some variscite mineral examples:

Hypersphaerae variscia

2013

Specimen box created by Henry J. Simonds for Super•Ball, held at The Mine Factory in Pittsburgh, Pa in 2013.

Materials: Salvaged frame with homemade walnut stain, wood, paint, contemporary balls, hardware, found brass plate and ink on paper.  

Photo courtesy of Headwater Media

©2013 Henry J. Simonds

Hypersphaera pele

Hypersphaera pele

Association Football Superball

One of a handful of sports-themed balls—soccer, baseball, basketball, etc.—H pele is designed to look like a traditional soccer (aka association football) ball.  It is commonly made as a solid, opaque white ball with the 12 black pentagonal shapes printed on the surface.  The surface is smooth and shiny and uniformly wrapped around a solid core in the mold.  This design consequently allows the identifying black panels to wear off quickly with play.  Although it is primarily seen in black & white, pele can be found in a variety of base colors or combinations.  A variation on the style is a solid, textured ball that features the hexagons and paneling of a traditional football's truncated icosahedron form.  (For more on the geometry of the football, visit: wiki/Truncated_icosahedron.)  (Photo credit: ©2020 Henry J. Simonds)

Hypersphaera pele

2013

This mounted specimen was created by Henry J. Simonds for the exhibition, Super•Ball, in 2013.  Shown at The Mine Factory in Pittsburgh, Pa it was designed to mimic an award given to the artist in the 1980's at summer camp.

Photo courtesy of Headwater Media

©2013 Henry J. Simonds

Hypersphaerae monomarmoreus

Hypersphaerae monomarmoreus

Marbled Monochromatic Superball

These opaque, smooth textured balls come in a variety of primary and secondary colors.  Each ball contains a range of tones within a root color spectrum from white to the base color, e.g, a variety of shades of yellow from white to lemon to sunflower to peach.  The swirls are formed in the mold and move uniformly around the surface, creating a marbled pattern.  The rubber is not injected from a single source as with a "cyclone" but mixed then molded as a skin over a solid core.  (Photo courtesy of Headwater Media.) 

Hypersphaerae monomarmoreus

2013

A hand-crafted specimen box by Henry J. Simonds, created for the exhibition, Super•Ball, held at The Mine Factory in Pittsburgh, Pa, in December 2013.

Materials: Salvaged Booker's® bourbon collector's box, contemporary balls, hardware, plexiglass, paint, synthetic fill, and printed label.

Photo: ©2013 Henry J. Simonds/Headwater Media

Hypersphaerae iridis

Hypersphaerae iridis

Bornite Superball

Bornite, also known as "peacock ore," is a copper iron sulfide mineral ore found in "mafic igneous rocks, in contact metamorphic skarn deposits, in pegmatites, in medium- to high-temperature hydrothermal deposits, and in sedimentary cupriferous shales."  Its natural color is red, brown, or bronze, which quickly tarnishes to metallic, iridescent purple and blue with oxidization. 

(Source: https://geologyscience.com/minerals/bornite/.)

H iridis mimics the range of colors of bornite in both its natural and oxidized states and the texture of the ore's variegated surface.  The balls are opaque but show a luminescence due to the "metallic" core and the smooth, outer skin.  The balls derive their color from pigmenting within the interface of the outer skin and the core surface coating.  They are heavier and more dense than other sphaerae due to the nature of the core material but are prone to cracking of the outer layer and tend to dry out with time due to exposure. (Photo Courtesy of Lenore M. Edman. www.evilmadscientist.com) (Below: 2 bornite mineral samples.)

Hypersphaerae iridis

2013

A hand-crafted specimen box by Henry J. Simonds, created for the exhibition, Super•Ball, held at The Mine Factory in Pittsburgh, Pa, in December 2013.

Materials: contemporary balls, hardware, found frame, plexiglass, paint, salvaged wood, and engraved plate.

Photo: ©2013 Henry J. Simonds/Headwater Media

 

Hypersphaera taeniae

Hypersphaera taeniae

Clear Ribbon Swirl Superball

H taeniae are clear, molded balls that have been embedded with thin, swirling ribbons of colored material during the construction phase.  They have a smooth, shiny surface texture.  Commonly featuring primary and secondary colors, the ribbons seems to be floating in liquid (which they were) and now appear fixed in time in a moment of dynamic motion.  The ribbons vary in density and can appear opaque to translucent, allowing for beautiful play with light.  Like other solid clear balls, they are softer and less dense and, therefore, more brittle.  At higher velocity and with more force, they can easily crack and split or explode.  

(Photo Courtesy of Lenore M. Edman. www.evilmadscientist.com)

Hypersphaerae taeniae

2013

Specimen box created by Henry J. Simonds for the exhibition, Super•Ball, at The Mine Factory in Pittsburgh, Pa, December 2013.

This large display box was created by building a new walnut box to fit an existing poster frame.  In order to see the ribbons in the balls—as the light needed to pass both through and reflect back into the specimens—the balls are fitted into a sheet of plexiglass that has been slotted into the box body some distance from the backing.  This allows for a full range of light and makes them appear to float within the case.  Materials: balls, wood, glass, plexiglass, paint, and hardware.

Photo Credit: ©2013 Henry J. Simonds/Headwater Media. 

Hypersphaerae janus

Hypersphaera janus

Half-Moon Superball

Janus was the god of beginnings and transitions in Roman mythology, and presided over passages, doors, gates and endings, as well as in transitional periods such as from war to peace. He was usually depicted as having two faces looking at opposite ways, one towards the past and the other towards the future. (Source: greekmythology.com/Myths/Roman/Janus/.)

H janus are constructed with two halves of molded rubber of differing colors.  The material is consistent throughout, as opposed to wrapped or spun around a solid core, and gives these balls a softer, lighter composition.  They are semi-opaque and, therefore, have a translucence that allows light to pass through and gives the ball a dynamic quality.  The surface is textured and adds to this effect.  Colors run the range of the spectrum, but each ball often features two colors within a narrow range—pink & purple, yellow & orange, etc.  The construction makes the balls less resistant by more pliable, so they can easily break if thrown with enough force. (Photo Courtesy of Lenore M. Edman. www.evilmadscientist.com)

Hypersphaera janus

2013

Specimen box created by Henry J. Simonds for the exhibition, Super•Ball, shown at The Mine Factory in Pittsburgh, Pa, December 2013.

Constructed of salvaged wood, paint, and plexiglass with a contemporary ball.

Photo Credit: ©2013 Henry J. Simonds/Headwater Media.