Kinetic sculpture is a special direction in contemporary art, based on the effect of movement of the entire art object or its individual elements. Masters working in this genre managed to destroy the myth that real sculptural images should be static. Their creations are filled with movement and life. They attract attention, fascinate and make a person think about the impermanence of all things and phenomena surrounding him in this world.
Sculptures by Limey Young
Lime Young - contemporary artist from South Korea, who creates unusual sculptures of complex shapes using microprocessors, circuit boards, stainless steel parts and other materials unusual for works of art. Set in motion by special mechanisms, his installations resemble unimaginable living creatures and have a truly magical effect on viewers. Understand how they work to the common man not possible. But this is not necessary, because any kinetic sculpture by Young is created in order to amaze the audience.
Bob Potts creations
The famous American sculptor Bob Potts creates minimalist installations that imitate the flapping of bird wings, the movement of oars in a boat, etc. His sculptures are made of lightweight materials and are not burdened with unnecessary details, but this does not prevent them from bringing viewers into indescribable delight. Particularly impressive to art fans is the amazing accuracy with which Potts manages to recreate the trajectory of the objects on display.
Woo-Ram Cho and his works of art
The kinetic sculpture has completely captured the imagination of South Korean artist Woo-Ram Cho. All his works have complex designs and mechanisms. Made from various metals, they are complemented by gearboxes, motors, various boards and microprocessors, thanks to which they are set in motion. The Korean's installations resemble strange birds, fish, insects and other creatures unknown to modern civilization. To make unusual sculptures look more realistic, the master demonstrates them accompanied by light and sound effects.
Moving compositions by Anthony Howe
American Anthony Howe has been creating three-dimensional abstract compositions from light stainless steel for more than 25 years, set in motion by the slightest breath of breeze. All the author’s creations consist of several dozen mobile elements and resemble unimaginable astronomical models or from the future. Some of Anthony Howe's kinetic sculptures stand firmly on the ground, but there are also some that are displayed in a suspended state. Driven by the power of the wind, they hypnotize those around them with their every second change in appearance.
Strange animals by Theo Jansen
Kinetic sculptures Theo Jansen carry the idea of preserving life on the planet. They are made from plastic bottles and pipes, insulating tape, adhesive tape, nylon threads, cardboard and other available materials. Jansen gives his creations the appearance of huge, outlandish animals, which, according to him, feed on wind energy and can move independently. Despite their apparent lightness, they are able to remain stable even under strong gusts of wind. Before creating the next figure, the wizard, using computer program calculates the parameters of the model and only after that assembles it and places it on the beach located near his home in Holland. Today, a whole family of strange animals has gathered there, peacefully neighboring each other.
"Live" installations in Russia
Kinetic sculpture is popular not only in foreign countries. In Russia today there are many artists who are passionate about creating moving installations. Thus, through the efforts of the participants of the capital art group ArtMechanicus created a whole collection of wooden mechanical fish. Among their creations there is a House Fish, a Ram Fish, and a Knight Fish. In addition to Muscovites, the creation unusual sculptures Yalta resident Ivan Poddubny is engaged. He makes miniature installations from wood and leather, driven by a spring motor. Poddubny’s works fit perfectly with modern interiors and are intended to decorate residential and office spaces.
THE FUNNY CHEATS OF KEITH NEWSTEAD: PIGGY BANK
Name: Kate Newstead
Year of birth: 1956
Residence: Penryn, Cornwall, UK
Occupation: sculptor, mechanic
Creative credo: “I make machines because I love mechanics, graphics, design... and machines allow you to get a great combination of these areas of creativity.”
Englishman Keith Newstead is one of these masters. He honestly admits: “I started designing fairground machines because I was terribly bored working in my main specialty.” After graduating from the University of Essex with a degree in graphics and design, Keith tried to become a graphic designer, but just six months later his enthusiasm waned, he quit his job and went to Finland in search of adventure. “Oh, it was too cold for me,” Kate laughs. “I had to hurry back.”
Actually, Keith faced a common problem: he clearly graduated from the wrong university. Yes, he knew how to draw, but he didn’t like to do it too much. Therefore, they had to make a living by whatever the hell: delivering newspapers and goods sold through catalogues. At the same time, Keith made and sold jewelry.
And then I saw television program about fair machines
The Devil Rides Out
The mechanism was made by order of an American collector in 2011. The model is almost entirely assembled from metal parts. Work on “The Devil” took about two months.
Royal Cornwall Museum
It is a donation box custom-made for the museum. When a coin is inserted into the slot, the characters perform a half-minute skit.
Smeaton's Tower Donations Box. Smeaton Tower is one of the most famous and oldest British lighthouses. It was erected near the city of Plymouth (Devonshire) in 1756–1759. Commissioned by the museum, located in the lighthouse today, Newstead made a box for collecting donations: a coin activates an ingenious mechanism, and the model begins to move.
Northampton Shoe Museum
A donation box commissioned by Northampton Museum satirically demonstrates the benefits modern methods shoe production before classic ones.
MOVING PICTURES BY CHRISTINE SUR
Year of Birth: 1963
Residence: Svendborg, Denmark
Occupation: Artist, Engineer
Creative credo: “I just like doing what I do”
The style to which Christine Sur's painting belongs is called primitivism. This movement arose in the 19th century and popularized the deliberate simplification of composition, stylization children's drawing. The great masters of primitivism were Henri Rousseau and Niko Pirosmani, Henry Darger and Martin Ramirez. Primitivist artists of the past, in most cases, were able to draw beautifully in classic style, deliberate simplification was used as artistic technique. Today there is an increasingly widespread trend in which painters actually paint at the level of talented children, betraying their inability to create something worthwhile. own style.
But all this is not about Kristin Suhr at all. She not only draws beautifully, but is able to add a new dimension to her paintings. When we look at the ordinary artistic canvas, we can only guess about what is, for example, behind the back of the hero of the picture or somewhere outside the frame. And Christine, by introducing animation into the plot, allows us to look beyond the boundaries.
“Girlfriends” (Veninder, 2008) An example of a fairly simple kinetic picture. The woman on the left angrily hits her opponent in the shin with the toe of her shoe, the woman on the right reacts to this with an exclamation of “Ouch!” (Av!). Only two moving elements are driven by one discreet lever mounted under the frame.
Coffee Shock (Coffeeshock, 2007)
One of the works of the “coffee” series by Christine Sur. In the various paintings in this collection, the most unexpected objects appear from cups, like rabbits from top hats. The crazy face from this work appears in other works of Christine.
Sculptures by Theo Jansen
Theo Jansen (born March 17, 1948, The Hague, Netherlands) - Dutch artist and kinetic sculptor. He builds huge structures that resemble the skeletons of animals that are able to move under the influence of the wind along sandy beaches. Jansen calls these sculptures "animals" or "creatures"
Smaller sculptures by Theo Jansen
But the real creation of thought and ingenuity are mechanical structures that can move under the influence of the force of the wind. Also, working on a clock mechanism or any motor capable of rotating the central rotor. These kinetic sculptures are invented and made by Theo Jansen.
Walking table
For many years, scientists have argued that walking mechanisms are not promising. Only nature realized in organisms all the perfection of life on two legs. For cars, the walking design, to put it mildly, is not preferable. They talked, but stubbornly continued to come up with walking robots. And gradually the idea that a mechanism can walk became so natural that now not only complex robots with the rudiments of artificial intelligence walk, but even furniture. For example, designer Water Sheublin created a walking table. This designer’s creation is not connected to electric motors; to move the table you need to push it
Cho Woo Ram: Mechanical Life Forms
What kind of alien monsters have writers, filmmakers and creators tried to surprise us with? computer games! But most professional dreamers would do well to take a master class from Korean Cho Woo Ram. The kinetic sculptures he creates look truly alien - and at the same time full of life.
Automaton
An automatic machine is a machine capable of changing its operating mode according to a specific program. Thanks to the complication or change of control programs, the machine becomes multifunctional - that is, it is able to perform a variety of actions without changing the instrumental part. Structurally, this problem is solved by the fact that in addition to the mechanical articulation of parts, the machine contains a device for converting one form of movement into another. The first machines were built on limited variations of mechanical action, varying in degree and direction of transmission of movement. With the development of electrical engineering, machines receive effective control units. Modern development The development of automatic machines is primarily due to the successes of microelectronics and programming.
Story
The first automata were made already in ancient times, as evidenced by the rather fabulous, however, walking statues of Daedalus in Athens, the flying wooden dove of Archites of Tarentum, etc.
Equally incredible are the stories about automatic machines that were made in the Middle Ages by Albertus Magnus (1193-1280), Roger Bacon (1214-1294), about a flying iron fly, etc. In the production of watches with
The clock mechanism often connected moving figures, as for example on the clock of the Strasbourg Cathedral with its 12 moving figures in a crowing rooster. Similar clocks are in Lübeck, Nuremberg, Prague, Olmutz, etc.
Vaucanson's automata (French) became especially famous in the 18th century. Vaucanson) from Grenoble, which he showed in Paris in 1738 (a man playing a flute, a pipe, a duck eating food), as well as works by Swiss watchmakers father and son Droz (fr. Jaquet Droz) from Lachaux-de-Fonds in 1790 (a boy writing, a girl playing the harmonium and a boy drawing).
Writing and drawing
The drawing doll, made by Swiss watchmaker Pierre Jacquet-Droz, draws pictures and writes poetry. Drawing Automaton by Pierre Jacquet-Droz An automaton created by 18th century Swiss watchmaker Pierre Jacquet-Droz has the ability to sketch pictures and write poems.
The oldest writing automaton, a mechanical doll made from carved wood by Jaquet-Droz in 1772, had the ability to write. 28 cm high
The Writer - a mechanical doll made in carved wood by Jaquet-Droz in 1772 which had the ability to write. At 28 inches tall, it gave an unusual impression of life and was presented to every court in Europe
Henri Maillardet (1745-?)
Another 18th century master, a Londoner of Swiss origin: His doll without wig and dress:
Henri Maillardet. "The Draughtsman-Writer" automaton, c. 1820, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia
Swiss-born, London-based clockmaker and inventor, Henri Maillardet, built a humanoid automaton that wrote three poems and could draw three pictures.
She can write three poems and pictures.
This is how this doll writes and draws:
China
Fortune Teller He has about twenty different designs
Japan
20th century - photo
18th century dolls Emil Frohlich with Two Automatons ca. 1906 Original caption: Emil Frohlich with automatons invented by Droz, 1760-1773.
Doll from the 19th century, in a dress from 1830. Mr. Schehl Pointing to Mechanical Part of Doll Original caption: Century-Old Robot Doll Draws and Writes. A robot doll over a hundred years old is "Miss Automaton," now reposing in the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia.
Various automatons
"Thimblemaker" from Beijing doll does cup-and-ball tricks clock with caucasian automaton He does cup-and-ball tricks.
Sources: www.popmech.ru
January 19th, 2015
It so happened that since October 2009 I have been constantly running the “Artifact” section in the magazine “Popular Mechanics”, dedicated to kinetic and “near-kinetic” scientific and technical art. During this time, I wrote and edited more than 60 articles on various kinetic sculptors and artists, and corresponded and communicated with more than two hundred masters of artistic mechanics.
Chris Eckert (USA). Auto Ink. Device for automatic tattooing. The image is pre-loaded into the computer's memory. Only tested on temporary tattoos using a pen, but can also work with a needle.
I personally know Nemo Gold, Brad Litwin, Ruben Margolin, Chris Eckert, Julien Berthier, Gregory Barsamian, Balint Boligo and dozens of other kinetic sculptors. Over time, I realized that I could easily write a dissertation on kinetic art, and even more than one; in principle, if our education system made it possible to defend a dissertation without going through three years of graduate school, I would do so; an extra crust wouldn’t hurt. There is some kind of option for such a plan, but I haven’t figured it out yet. Another thing is that I am not sure that in Russia there are specialists who understand kinetics better than me, and therefore I have a vague idea of who could become a leader. I never studied kinetic art specifically - it just happened that way. Well, okay, we'll survive without a crust.
Choi Woo-ram ( South Korea). Echo Navigo Larva. Kinetic skeleton of a fantastic creature of the species Anmorome Istiophorus platypterus Uram.
It would be interesting to organize in Moscow or St. Petersburg - actually, it doesn’t matter, in any city in Russia - a full-fledged kinetic art exhibition or a specific sculptor. I myself do not have such financial capabilities, but I do have organizational ones. Contacting and negotiating with any master from the list given at the end of the post is not difficult for me at all. Most of the time I can just call and say something like “Hey Ted, do you want an exhibition in Moscow?”
Nemo Gold (USA). Doubtful. One of the nicest robots by the American sculptor. According to the author, in its body movements the robot is completely alien to doubts and moral principles.
Many people know that I give open lectures on scientific and technical topics - I gave them at Seliger, at regional Russian scientific festivals, at the Siberian “Robosib” and so on. After thinking, I developed lecture on kinetic art- why not? You can even make a course of lectures - I have enough material and knowledge for 16-20 academic hours without repetition, but with illustrations and video materials.
Joseph Hersher (USA). Bread Goldberg Machine. Joseph Herscher's Rube Goldberg machine quickly cooks bread and sends it straight to your plate.
Christopher Miskja (Norway). Machine that uses a thousand years to shut itself down. A mechanical device driven by an engine. The engine drives the first ring, the second one rotates from it through a gear, and so on. The last ring has a pin, which after some time will press the engine shutdown button. This will happen after 1000 years of rotation of the machine - this is how the gear ratios are calculated.
Anthony Howe (USA). In Cloud Light III. Classic street kinetic sculpture. Rotates under the influence of the wind (however, Howe’s works are often equipped with motors to work even in calm conditions)
There is also a subsection of water sculptures, where not air, but water, fire or fog is used as propulsion. For example, Ned Kann.
SOUND MACHINES
A separate area of kinetics is unusual musical instruments and noise robots. In this genre, it is not so much the sound being extracted that is important, but rather the method of extracting it.
The Canadian Maxime de La Rochefoucauld is very interesting here. He makes musical instrument(string or percussion) from all sorts of things, and a column with a spring attached to it is built into its design. It supplies low-frequency (or high-frequency) noise to the speaker, the spring vibrates and hits the strings, producing assonant sounds. De La Rochefoucauld has a whole orchestra of this madness.
Maxime de La Rochefoucauld (Canada). Drum kit from the Ki Automates series. Maxim applies vibration to the speaker, a drumstick attached to it on a movable spring beats the stretched skin.
The most interesting kinetic musician, so to speak, is the Swiss Zimun, a sound architect. He takes various surfaces (most often cardboard boxes) and attaches to them systems of balls driven by motors. The balls randomly hit the boxes, creating a monotonous sound background with a hypnotic quality.
Zimun (Switzerland). 329 prepared dc-motors, cotton balls, toluene tank. Zimun once bought a huge toluene tank, cleaned it from the inside and equipped it with 329 motors with cotton balls attached to them. Now a measured, oppressive cacophonous madness reigns inside the tank.
Video:
DRAWING MACHINES
A popular trend is drawing machines. A typical representative is Balint Boligo, a Briton of Hungarian origin. He makes very strange drawing machines that can draw monotonous patterns for days. He does a lot more, just this good example.
Balint Boligo (UK). Polycycle. Machine-artist. He draws no worse than modern abstractionists and expressionists.
I really love his work The Page Turner:
The luxurious Rube Goldberg car was in the OK Go video:
INTERACTIVE AND DIGITAL ART
The last fifteen years have given a sharp impetus to another direction of kinetic art - various digital interactive installations that interact with the viewer. The coolest thing I've seen in this genre is Daniel Rozin's interactive mirrors. His mirrors are opaque, but consisting of many pixels (wooden, metal, glass); The camera reads the viewer's face and the mirror forms images by changing the position of the pixels.
Daniel Rozin (USA). Peg Mirror. 650 cylindrical wooden blocks change their position relative to the light source, forming the viewer's image.
For example, the Dutchman Marnix de Nijs showed himself well in this context. In his works, the viewer takes a certain position, and the images on interactive screens are formed depending on his behavior.
Marnix de Nijs (Netherlands). Exploded Views Remapping Firenze. An installation in which the viewer can “walk” through interactively and randomly generated world landmarks. In this case, the device is configured for an interactive map of Florence. The picture on the screen depends on the intensity of your running.
FUNCTIONAL KINETIC ART
A rare but interesting direction is the creation of objects of art that perform some real function. Let's say, very beautiful devices. For example, Wayne Belger makes uniquely designed pinhole cameras from skulls, parts of destroyed buildings and blood. Each camera is created for a specific series of photographs, and the exhibition displays both the photographs and the devices with which they were taken.
Wayne Belger (USA). Untouchable. A pinhole camera made using the blood of a person infected with HIV.
Installation with a camera and photographs.
An absolutely amazing lady - Tatiana van Wark from Holland. She's obsessed with literally words on science and scientific instruments, and made her first oscilloscope at age 14. Now she is over 60, and she continues to make scientific instruments of increased aesthetics.
Tatiana van Wark (Netherlands). The Harmonium. Device for harmonic analysis and signal synthesis. Completely working and suitable for use in the laboratory, just aesthetically very beautiful.
WORKS BEYOND CLASSIFICATION
Finally, there are unique sculptors. Which do things that don't fit into traditional kinetic subgenres.
Francois Junot (France). Alexandre Pouchkin. A mechanical automaton depicting Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin can write 1458 (!) different texts and drawings, imitating Pushkin’s handwriting. He dips his pen into the inkwell, moves his head and hands, and writes and writes. No electronics - only mechanics.
An absolutely unique example is the animated sculptures of Gregory Barsamyan. He makes rotating mechanisms that you need to look at in the stroboscopic flash of light - and you get the feeling that a plasticine cartoon action is unfolding right in front of you, which you can touch with your hands.
Gregory Barsamyan (USA). Feral Font. One of the examples of mechanical “cartoons” by Gregory Barsamyan.
The Korean Choi Woo-Ram also defies classification. He will create incredible beauty and complexity of fantastic animals (mostly “extinct”), to which he gives Latin names and invents complex legends
Choi U-Ram (South Korea). Custos Cavum. The skeleton of a fictional creature Choi, the now dead guardian of the gate between our world and the other world. When the last Custos Cavum died, the last gate closed forever.
"Near-Kinetic" SCULPTURES
“Near-kinetic” art is also interesting. When there may be no moving parts in a sculpture, but its materials and execution technique imply the technogenic origin of the work. Let's say the insects of Christopher Conte.
Christopher Conte (USA). Red Widow. Typical Conte work.
Or figures from Jeremy Mayer's typewriter parts.
Jeremy Mayer (USA). Bust IV. Typical Mayer work.
Les Machines de l'île (France). Le Grand Elephant. A huge steam (actually, of course, diesel) elephant, an imitation of a similar device from the work of Jules Verne, travels around Nantes and gives rides to those who wish.
In total, this is about a quarter of the sculptors with whom I am more or less familiar. I know about about two hundred more, but I have never contacted them, because they work in genres about which I have already done materials. Or I just don't like them for some reason. This also happens.
In general, this is not quite a classification, of course. There are much more directions, in each I can name from 3-4 to 10-15 representatives. I find it difficult to say how many kinetic sculptors there are in the world. There are very few of them in Russia (only the kinetic showcases of Evgeniy Klimov immediately come to mind - in style they belong to the mentioned class of “fair machines”, and the “kinetic fish” of the ArtMechanicus group). In the meantime, this is a very significant and interesting layer of art, which would be interesting to popularize and develop.
So if I do find opportunities to both give lectures on kinetic art and organize an exhibition, don’t pass me by. It will be interesting.
Kinetic art in last years is at the peak of popularity, because masters who have mastered light and movement manage to achieve a stunning effect - to overcome the static nature of sculpture. Our review contains 8 of the most original examples of how art objects come to life.
1.Fantastic mechanism from the artist Lime Young
Kinetic sculpture by South Korean artist Laimi Yang
Lime Young is a true virtuoso. The master manages to construct the most complex mechanisms from circuit boards, microprocessors, servos and other mechanical devices. When put into action, his kinetic sculptures have a magnetic effect on viewers, because it is simply impossible for the average person to solve the mystery of the mechanism.
2.Car silhouettes made from metal spheres
Kinetic sculpture at the BMW Museum
The kinetic sculpture at the BMW Museum appeared several years ago, but still causes delight. 714 metal spheres fold into the shape of car models different years release.
3. Wing Flap by Bob Potts
Kinetic sculpture of Bob Potts
70-year-old sculptor Bob Potts creates minimalist, but no less impressive works. His kinetic sculptures imitate the flapping of a bird's wings or the movement of an oar while rowing. It’s amazing how the master manages to convey the trajectory of movement so accurately.
4. "Dancing" sculptures by Anthony Howe
Kinetic sculpture by Anthony Howe
Anthony Howe works with rough material - steel reinforcement, but creates surprisingly harmonious kinetic sculptures. In calm weather they look elegant and sophisticated, and with the first breath of wind they begin their fancy dance.
5. "Mechanical fish" from the art group ArtMechanicus
Kinetic sculpture from the art group ArtMechanicus
Thanks to the efforts of the art group ArtMechanicus, more than one “mechanical fish” has been born. The collection of Moscow masters includes “Fish-House”, reminiscent of Noah’s Ark, “Fish-Knight”, personifying a lonely horseman, “Nut Fish”, symbolizing the desire for beauty, and “Fish-ram” - an allegory of the struggle between living and inanimate principles.
6. Wooden Wonders by David Roy
David Roy gives his kinetic sculptures touching and tender names - “Fiesta”, “Summer Rain”, “Sun Dance”, “Serenade”, “Zephyr”. Wooden creations are set in motion by the wind and immediately become light and graceful.
