Artists achieve the illusion of tension or imbalance in sculptures through a combination of meticulous engineering and creative deception. By carefully calculating weight distribution, they create dynamic forms that appear to defy gravity. Some sculptors use cantilevered designs, where one section extends dramatically beyond the support base, while others employ hidden counterweights or armatures to maintain stability.

Materials play a crucial role - lightweight metals, hollow structures, or tension wires allow for dramatic poses that heavier materials couldn't support. The strategic placement of visual weight through exaggerated proportions or directional lines further enhances the sense of movement and precariousness.

Psychological techniques amplify the effect. Artists often position sculptures at slight angles just beyond what viewers instinctively perceive as stable, triggering a visceral response. The interplay of positive and negative space creates visual tension, while unfinished surfaces or fragmented forms suggest imminent motion.

Contemporary artists push boundaries with kinetic elements that actually move, or optical illusions that change with perspective. Whether through bronze figures frozen mid-fall or abstract forms teetering on impossible edges, these works captivate by challenging our fundamental expectations of balance and stability in physical objects.