Figures of Motion

Figures of Motion
06:30 mins

The first of Lye’s talks discusses kinetic sculpture as an art that involves both eye and ear. The occasion for the talk was a visit to New York in 1974 by Lye’s friend Ray Thorburn, a New Zealand artist and educator, who took some of the slide photographs. (Thorburn also recorded an interview with the artist which was published in the April 1975 issue of Art International.)

Lye refers to some key aspects of his motorised metal sculpture such as ‘figures of motion’ (the particular patterns of motion that the artist selects and develops) and ‘harmonics’ (the single or double ‘S’ shapes that strips of metal produce when made to vibrate at a particular speed). The scene is Lye’s studio at 801 Greenwich Street in New York, and the sculptures include Blade, Fountain, Flip and Twister. The artist’s success in making ‘metal wriggle and waggle and swoop and swirl’ makes such art look easy, but in fact its striking figures of motion were the product not only of skilful engineering but also of countless artistic decisions and a long process of experiment.

Download full pdf 'Notes on the Talks'

Next - Temple of Lightning >>

These versions of Lye's slide/tape talks were prepared by:

The Len Lye Foundation, PO Box 647, New Plymouth, New Zealand,
with the assistance of the Govett Brewster Art Gallery / Len Lye Centre
(42 Queen Street, New Plymouth, New Zealand), and Ngā Taonga
Sound and Vision (National Library Building, Wellington).

Research: Evan Webb, Roger Horrocks, Paul Brobbel, Sarah Davy
Digitizing: Olivier Wardecki, Next Technology
Writer: Roger Horrocks