Dominoes by Nick Hevesh

A domino is a small rectangular wood or plastic block with one side bearing an arrangement of spots, or “pips,” similar to those on a die and the other blank. The pips identify a domino as part of a larger set and help determine its value, whether in a blocking game or a scoring one. In either case, the potential energy of a domino standing upright gets converted to kinetic energy once it is knocked over, setting off a chain reaction that causes more and more dominoes to fall.

Whenever I’m asked for book editing advice, the first thing I tell authors is to think of every plot beat in their novel as a single domino. This simple concept is key to creating a compelling story. In fact, a story that lacks dominoes—or, as we sometimes say in the industry, “domino chains”—is likely to crash and burn.

Dominoes are small enough to be manageable in a confined workshop yet detailed enough to demand respect for the craftsman. Nick created a method that allowed him to make dominoes using only the tools in his grandmother’s garage: a drill press, radial arm saw, scroll saw, belt sander and welder. He adapted techniques used by professional woodworkers and amateur domino enthusiasts to develop a system that is accessible to everyone.

Hevesh’s mind-blowing domino creations are not only beautiful, but they also demonstrate how physics can be used to achieve artistic goals. Each domino is built around a theme or purpose, and she follows a version of the engineering-design process when creating her designs. This begins with considering the intended effect or goal, then brainstorming images that could help achieve this. She then creates a model and tests the design before moving forward with production.

While Hevesh has an incredible eye and a tremendous talent, she also knows how to scale her efforts. When she was starting out, she worked with local schools to teach students how to build domino sets and play games. This gave her an opportunity to test and refine her technique, making it more effective.

As she became more proficient, Hevesh began collaborating with architects and engineers to produce large-scale installations, including several works of art. Her work has been featured in many major venues and earned her international recognition.

Whether it’s a pizza delivery or a building project, a team can’t be successful unless everyone is on the same page. That’s why it’s important to use a tool like Domino to connect and collaborate, so you can deliver the best results to your customers.

When a team uses Domino, everyone has access to the same set of tools and infrastructure, so there are no technical hurdles standing in the way of solving problems. You can run Domino on-premises, in the cloud, or as a fully managed service. Whichever way you choose, Domino helps you solve your most complex challenges with less effort, so you can focus on what matters most.