Temple of Lightning

Temple of Lightning
07:00 mins

Lye takes a conceptual or ‘utopian’ approach, imagining a giant sculpture park or ‘temple’ that would provide visitors with an overwhelming experience of kinetic art. This would be the modern equivalent of ancient monuments such as Stonehenge or the Aztec pyramids. Starting out from the very first idea which he sketched on a ‘brown paper bag’, he takes us through a creative planning process by means of doodles, photographs and small models. He shows how a number of his sculptures could be incorporated on a giant scale within the temple, including versions of Fountain, Wind Wand, Water Swirler, Twister, and Flip (characterised here as ‘the cave goddess’). Lye’s commentary is deliberately playful and provocative but his underlying idea is perfectly serious. His giant ‘temple’ of kinetic art may seem an impossible pipe-dream, but artists should be free to turn their imaginations loose; and we need to remember that there was once widespread scepticism that Lye’s 45-metre Wind Wand (now an iconic New Plymouth sculpture) would ever be built.

Download full pdf 'Notes on the Talks'

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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