Kinetic Art – Shape, Form and Balance

28th September 2022

We were briefed on the project and were split into four groups to work as a collaboration, the outcome to be a form of abstract kinetic art. The idea being that as a group we worked to each others individual strengths. So what did we need to do:

• research kinetic art
• use abstract outcomes
• develop ideas by selection, design, making
• must be a collaborative practice working to our individual strengths

KINETICS – movement – light and concept of moving, make it real

LIGHT – tonality – alive? – High to low tones, drama

2D art Static 3D use physical movement & light Alexander Rochenko sculpture moves and reacts with light

We looked at a few examples of artists work as part of the briefing lecture on Kinetic Art

• Bridget Riley – pointilism, dots to blend clolours, lines close together optical illusion of movement
• Paul Fillier – captive light used to create different shades, iridescent colours, study of light
• Jean Arp – sculptures – static – you move around it
• Marcal Duchamp – “Mobile” his sculpture moves
• Alexander Calder – sculpture, mobile, abstract art – it moves itself
• Man Ray – known better as a photographer, created first “mobile” he called it ob/struction – ob=objects/struction=putting together

The kinetic sculpture would be displayed in the atrium.

I was in a group with Alan, Alicia, Seb and Lexi. The kinetic artists that seemed to inspire at least two members of our group were Alexander Calder and Rebecca Horn, we then had a discussion about what we liked, didn’t liked and what we were likely to acheive in the timescale we had. Alexander Calder’s pieces were very automotive and although Alan may have had the skills from his engineering background to design and build, it wouldn’t have been possible with the materials we had available to use. Rebecca Horn is interested in sound and musical instruments and uses them in her art installations. Seb wanted to incorporate the music score for “Fur Elise” and whether it’s because of my interest in the art of music and research I did last year on Wassily Kandinsky, I was all up for attempting this. There were comments that music was black and white, so I explained briefly about visual music a book that I had read on Syneasthesia: The Art of Music, and showed them the chart that that every note had a colour, I still feel there was some scepticism but we went ahead with our rainbow notes.

Our initial idea was to use a pedestal and have a pivot in the middle with musical notes hanging of it.

Alicia and Alan started gathering bits together, and working out how to make the pedestal with the pizza boxes, whilst Seb and I went to the photocopier armed with the music sheets to see how we could enlarge them. It was pretty clear that this idea wouldn’t work, so back we went into the studio and I suggested I draw the notes used in the music and we cut them out and paint them. Alicia suggested different weights with cardboard and coloured paper. She also had the hot glue gun to stick a couple of the cardboard notes together to make them heavier. We set up a bit of a production line and got started. At the end of the day Alicia and Seb took the notes home to paint them, and I took the three pizza boxes to home to paint them brown.

The following day Lexi joined us, so we quickly caught her up to speed and she helped with the painting of notes, attaching wires and sticking and attaching them to the pizza box stand. Alan and Alicia worked their magic with glue gun, and we all started attaching the notes and wires to our pedestal. We decorated the pedestal with notes but also with an album cover that Alan had found:

“Things may come and things my go but…… the Art School Dance Goes On For Ever” Pete Brown & Riblokto!

We hit the deadline, we managed to get it all completed if a little tacky in places and displayed in the atrium. As part of the installation and presentation we placed a blue tooth speaker under the pedestal and played “Fur Elise”.

In conclusion I think it was a successful project although, I admit there were points when I really didn’t think we would get everybody on board with a cohesive idea, are there things we could have done differently? Yes as it was quite a fluid construction with lots of problem solving along the way.