A fish placed at the water's edge
A koi only makes sense beside water. The Leaping Koi is built to be fixed at the edge of a pool or fountain, angled so the body rises out of the surface as if mid-leap. Visitors approaching the water meet the fish at eye level with the tail still above the reflection, which is the composition that reads as motion even before the mechanism runs. The placement is fixed to a substructure in or beside the water, not floated, so the leap angle stays exact through the season.
The tail-wave motion
The single actuated movement is a tail-wave sway, driven by a 24V DC motor through linkage. The wave is deliberately slow: a koi leaving the water does not thrash, and a calm sweep reads as a living fish rather than a mechanical one. Linkage drive was chosen because it holds the pose with no air supply and keeps the sealed parts minimal, which matters when the mechanism sits close to splashing water.
Reading the piece by day
The body is satin silk over a galvanised steel frame, anti-rust treated and sealed for the wet location, with the surface hand-painted so the koi keeps its colour and scale pattern with the lighting off. A fish that looks flat in daylight is a weak landmark, so the curve of the leap is shaped to read as volume from the path as well as from across the water. The lighting runs as its own zone so the scale pattern can glow while the surrounding pool stays dark.
Water, weather and access to the drive
The motion parts are IP-rated for splash and the piece is rated for -30 C to +50 C. In frost or heavy rain the tail cycle can be paused from the controller, leaving the koi illuminated and still. The drive sits in a sealed compartment above the waterline, so routine service does not require draining, and installation drawings ship with the piece.
Fixing the koi to the pool edge
The koi is built to a substructure the buyer supplies at the pool or fountain edge, and the leap angle is fixed to that frame so it stays exact through the season. The water should be running at its planned level before the figure is set. On site the body is bolted to the substructure, the sealed drive above the waterline is checked, and the lighting is tuned so the scale pattern glows while the pool stays dark.
