Portfolio: Sculpture Studio

Rachael Lashof

Project 2- Kinetics and Interactivity
ARTIST RESEARCH:

Look up the work of at least two other artists and comment on the content that arises because the artist engages kinetic or interactive media.

Rebecca Horn and Claire Watkins

Rebecca Horn

Rebecca Horn is a kinetic artist interested in the augmented human body and human interactivity. Her pieces often reflect the human body and imply sexuality and desire. Ordinary objects, like violins, in the work at the right, are transformed to have certain humanistic qualities through their movement and production of sound. They seem to dance and react to one another. I think that Horn’s work gets the attention of the viewer not only by its kinetics but also because the viewer can easily related to its humanistic qualities.

Another body-related work by Rebecca Horn is Paradiso seen at left. This piece is an installation in the Guggenheim museum. Horn uses two large Plexiglas funnels filled with a milky fluid to resemble breasts. These forms are hung from the ceiling, high above the viewers, and drip into pools below. The mechanical-like dripping create a large amount of tension in the room.

Through her kinetic works, Rebecca Horn is able to make fascinating works that ask many interesting questions. The use of movement in her works inspired the viewer to think about how these non-human objects resemble human elements.

Claire Watkins

Claire Watkins is a kinetic artist interested in how things work and the intersection between machine and human. Claire’s works cover a broad array of topics. Her interest in how things work, particularly small motors, has led her to use kinetics in her work. One work, entitle 1192 Friends, (at right) uses 1192 LED lights to suggest the way memories stay in our minds, flashing back to us occasionally, sometimes at half strength. The layout of this work also suggests the physical connections that our brain makes – the neurons and synapses that induce these memories.

For Claire, movement is a way in which to attract the attention of the viewer. She uses slow movement – the movement of the piece is hardly noticeable, but when you catch it out of the corner of the eye, you come closer to watch. Such is the case in another of her works, seen at left. In this work, silver plated tree branches with tiny clips move lightly over a white screen. From across the room, the movement is hardly noticeable, from ten feet the viewer is encouraged to come for a closer look.

It is through her kinetic works that Claire Watkins uses her interest in how things work to force the viewer to ask the same question. Not only do we compare the metal hand in 1192 Friends moving across what seem to be neurons, but we also think about how that interaction signals the LED lights to brighten. When we see ‘living’ tree branches on the wall, we question how they are able to move in such a life-like way. In addition to the common question, what is this artwork about? We also ask, how does it work?