News and EventsTUSALAVA AT THE TATE MODERN August 2nd, 2022
Len arrived in England in 1926. He had a portfolio of drawings under his arm, a head full of ideas about ‘movement’ and he was penniless. A group of London artists took him under their wing, got him employment, and set him up on a barge, on the river Thames, near Hammersmith. They were curious about this ‘vertical invader’ from the Pacific. An artist with quite different ideas to their own, an artist from another culture, an artist from another planet. By this time Len had had his ‘eureka’ moment while living and studying art in Wellington. “Why try to paint movement, (as Constable attempted when painting clouds) why not just make things move?” This idea, and its association with his own body movement and dance forms from the Pacific, gave him a unique (kine)aesthetic to making art. We see this best in his experimental films and moving sculptures.
Unsurprisingly, Len was invited to exhibit in the ‘International Surrealist Exhibition at the New Burlington Galleries in Mayfair in 1936. The catalogue lists his works as; ‘The Jam Session’ (oil painting), ‘Self Planting at Night’ (photogram) and ‘Marks and Spencer in a Japanese Garden’ (photogram). There are similarities between Len’s ideas and those of the early Surrealists. Both were fascinated with the art of other cultures; both used forms of the ‘unconscious’ in their work, and both had an interest in the shapes that occur in ‘nature. For example, Joan Miro’s biomorphic imagery is akin to the “cellular’ forms in Len’s drawings, paintings, batiks, films, and sculptures. But Len was not a ‘card-carrying’ member of the Surrealist Movement. He was not particularly interested in their political aims, and moreover, he was intent on pursuing his own ideas on ‘movement’.
The exhibition ‘Surrealism Beyond Borders’ is a comprehensive and re-interpretation of Surrealism. It is a joint effort between the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Tate Modern in London. The exhibition opened at the Met on February 24 and will run until August 29 at the Tate Modern.
Len’s film Tusalava is included in both. The exhibition is accompanied by an excellent book co-edited by Stephanie D’Alessandro and Matthew Gale, and includes texts from over 50 authors. (See Raymond Spiteri’s essay ‘Alternative Orders, page 280 in ‘Surrealism Beyond Borders’ where he writes about Len and Gordon Walters). There are some glowing reviews: “The variety of discoveries, detailed with exceptional scholarship in a ravishing keeper of a catalogue, defeat generalization.”—Peter Schjeldahl, New Yorker
Len completed Tusalava, his first film, in 1929 - an animation made up of over 4400 drawings, carefully registered and photographed with a Rostrum camera. It took Len nearly two years, to produce the nine-minute film with sponsorship from the London Film Society. Sound tracks were not common on films back then and his friend, Jack Ellitt, composed music for two pianos that played live at the premiere in December 1929 at the London Film Society. Unfortunately, the Elliott music score is lost and Tusalava is mostly exhibited now as a ‘silent’ movie.
Although Tusalava is made using relatively conventional techniques – thousands of drawings with slight variations between them were photographed in sequence to produce an animation – the protagonists and themes of the film are far from conventional. Len struggled to explain his film. He once said; “When I was a kid, a lot of disturbing things happened around me. But… happiness became my whole theory of life” (see Roger Horrocks’, ‘Len Lye: a biography’, page 92). In Tusalava, a menacing octopus like figure devours a ‘robot’ and then gives it new life. Perhaps Tusalava provided cathartic relief for Len. The protagonist figure is based on the Australian Aborigine Witchetty grub – a venerated emblem of the Arrernte people of Central Australia. While menacing, it appears to give perpetual life to those around it. And the title, Tusa lava is a Samoan phrase meaning ‘just the same’ or perhaps, ‘the circle of life’.
Tusalava flows with Surrealist themes – emblems and images from different cultures, the unconscious or the ‘dream world’ and organic cellular shapes that morph and change throughout the film. Tusalava was a deeply personal film for Len, a film about overcoming anxiety and fear; a film that may later have inspired Individual Happiness Now – Len’s philosophy for a good and peaceful world.
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A picture of Len's work from 'Tusalava' in the earlier, 1936 exhibition.
While in London on another project, Maria Webb (Producer at Falling Films) was able to take some photographs of Tusalava at the Tate Modern. She said: Tusalava was exhibited as a large wall projection. Many people sat down to watch as the playful shapes danced across the screen. It was a proud moment to see Len's work given the space and attention it deserves.
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CONVOLUTIONS July 8th, 2022
The Foundation has recently completed Convolutions, a large wall-mounted Sculpture that is currently on exhibition at the Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth .
Twenty eight metres of stainless steel strip, formed as a loop, is quietly propelled by a series of rollers protruding from the wall. The loop slowly winds and unwinds to form bulges and curves that resemble slowly changing, organic shapes. Convolutions is more akin to the slow and often imperceptible movement of the works of Belgium sculptor, Pol Bury, than the fast, frenetic movement we usually associate with Len’s sculptures. Yet its origins and aesthetic can be found in the artist’s fascination with organic life. Convolutions can be understood as a ‘drawing’ in space that is constantly forming and changing like the membrane of a small amoeba. It shows another direction in the artist’s consideration of movement – of slow organic, movement - the movement of cellular life usually only observed through a microscope.
In 2007 Len Lye Foundation reconstructed Ribbon Snake, a free-standing and smaller precursor to the larger Convolutions, for the Sydney Biennale exhibition, ‘Revolutions – Forms that Turn’. Ribbon Snake is two loops of plastic that quietly rotate in opposite directions. The strips accumulate as ‘cellular’ forms that grow and then shrink away.
Other works in the series, Spiral Frieze, Wall Serpent, and Double Bulge, are all based upon the same concept - the changing shapes and convolutions that occur when ribbons of plastic (or steel) are tensioned and eased by the varying forces that cause them to rotate.
Another variation of Convolutions, called Wall Serpent, is described by Len as: “a ribbon of thin, high tempered stainless steel of any length from forty to five hundred feet”. That is, the size of this wall sculpture could be enormous.
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 Convolutions, currently on show at the Len Lye Centre, New Plymouth.
Ribbon Snake was re-constructed for the 2007 Sydney Biennale, ‘Revolutions – Forms that Turn’.
The photogramme, Marks and Spencer in a Japanese Garden,(circa 1930) shows Len’s preoccupation with natural, organic forms that feature in other works, particularly his film Tusalava.
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THERE'S A STORM COMING - SOUNDS FROM THE ARCHIVE June 19th, 2022
The Len Lye Foundation Archive holds approximately 600 audio recordings and thousands of photographic slides. The recordings, mostly of the artist talking, hold valuable information about his sculptures, paintings and philosophy on art. There are some hidden gems. Len created many lectures using 35mm slides (in a Kodak carrousel slide projector) synchronised with audio tapes. As the tape played, a separate track would send a pulse to the slide projector and the next slide would be shown. In recent times the Foundation published an edited selection of these lectures as a DVD which is now available online. See ‘Len Talks About Art’ on this site under, ‘Who was Len Lye? at: http://www.lenlyefoundation.com/page/len-lye-talks-about-art/4/90/
The audio recordings made almost 50 years ago, are on ¼” magnetic tape and are at risk of deteriorating and eventually becoming inaudible. With funding from the Foundation, Paul Brobbel, Curator at the Len Lye Centre, had the audio tapes and many of the 35 mm photographic slides transferred to digital files. Paul, with assistance from others, is now in the throes of producing transcriptions from the digital tapes and cataloguing the complete collection of audio visual material.
This is an important and necessary project to complete. This valuable collection of audio visual material is now in two forms, the original analogue slides and tape, which will be deposited at Ng? Taong? Sound and Vision for safe keeping, and high quality digital files. The digital form, along with the transcriptions will ‘open up’ the archive to further research and scholarship. Our thanks to Paul and Nga Taong? Sound and Vision for preserving and securing this valuable part of the Len Lye heritage.
In 1969 Len exhibited a new sculpture at the Howard Wise Gallery in New York called ‘Storm’, an ensemble of three works that ‘acted out’ the forces of nature. The group exhibition, Kinesthetics, was promoted as “exploring the aesthetic potentials of some recent technological developments.” The catalogue describes Len’s works as: “The Storm King and Thunder Sheet slowly start to move in increasingly violent patterns. One subsides, the other reaches a new peak; they vie with each other to reach greater heights. As the tension seems to reach the breaking point, the energy is suddenly withdrawn and the metals regain their tranquillity. The storm is over”.
Parts of Storm exist in the Archive – the Thunder Sheets and the Lightning Bolts and possibly the motor from Storm – but it has never been run since the exhibition in New York. At the finale of the performance, two Lightning Bolts are released from the ceiling striking ‘Sounding Wells’ on the floor made from stone and stainless steel.
But what will this sound like? While listening to the audio tapes, Paul came across what he thinks are original recordings of the Lightning Bolts crashing into the Sounding Wells. What a find! Sound files like this are invaluable to our knowledge and understanding of Len’s work.
Listen to the sound file here.
And watch this space – there’s a Storm coming!
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Len composing an audio-visual talk. A slide of Sun Land and Sea can be seen projected in the background.
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Storm, exhibited at the Howard Wise Gallery, New York in 1969. The three ‘elements’ can be seen. Storm King hangs in front of Thunder Sheet and two Lightning Bolts (coil springs) are resting on the Sounding Wells.
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LIGHTENING FROM ABOVE - SKY SNAKES ENTRAL June 17th, 2022
Before Len died in 1980, he formed the Len Lye Foundation, a charitable Trust charged with looking after his art works and heritage. One requirement of the Foundation is to conserve and maintain his works and to make them available to the people of New Zealand and the world. Over the years, Nga Taonga Sound and Vision have done a superb job preserving Len’s films, transferring them to digital formats and making them available to film co-ops and art galleries around the world.
A more challenging request from Len was for the Foundation to construct the sculptures he was unable to complete in his lifetime.
Len’s ideas for sculptures were often ahead of their time. He famously said on the CBS television documentary in 1969, ‘The Walls Come Tumbling Down’ that:
“My work is going to be pretty good I think for the 21st century. Why the 21st? It’s simply that there won’t be the means until then …to have what I want, which is enlarged versions of my work”.
The ‘means’ Len is referring to is the knowledge of motors and materials available to him in the 1960s. He knew this technology would one day support scaled-up versions of his work. He’s also referring to the cost of making kinetic sculpture. These costs were often beyond his means. John Matthews a mechanical engineer and business man based in New Plymouth and a lifelong supporter of Len and his work offered him a life line. For decades John has funded the development and construction of Len’s unrealised works. A full-scale Trilogy was one of the first and the ‘millennium’ Wind Wand, 150 feet tall, remains a focus on the New Plymouth foreshore 22 years after it was installed.
In 2018 Susan Hughes, Chairman of the Foundation, took over the responsibility of funding the research, development and construction of the unrealised works. She set up the TEAM ZIZ!, crowdfunding account with the modest aim of raising $50,000 to fund one sculpture per year for three years. To date this has proved successful. The first project, Wand Dance, expanded Len’s Bell Wand into an ensemble of seven ‘dancers’, scaled to the artists wishes. (we’ll feature this work as a news item at a later date).
The second work, Sky Snakes, constructed in 2020 and exhibited at the Len Lye Centre proved so popular with over 5,600 coming to see the work that the season was extended. This work is similar to the single Sky Snake Len first displayed at the Albright Knox Gallery in Buffalo in 1965.
Sky Snakes is extended to seven ‘snakes’, each suspended from the ceiling, hanging out of reach yet close enough to feel their presence as they twist and twirl. They are programmed (choreographed) to perform a dance, led by the central ‘snake’ and building in intensity to a finale. Children and uninhibited adults dance to the shadow patterns cast on the floor and the gyrating forms overhead.
Our thanks to all those who contributed to the TEAM ZIZZ! fundraiser and who helped bring about this re-construction.
Thank you also to Christchurch based artisan, Bruce Aitken, who built this work and several other of Len’s sculptures.
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The public dance to Sky Snakes at the Len Lye Centre, 2020
 Close-up of a ‘snake’ made from polished ball chain and the striated patterns it forms
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DROOLING OVER COLOUR June 10th, 2022
Len arrived in London, penniless in 1926. Local artists, intrigued, with this character from the Antipodes and his unusual ‘Pacific ’ aesthetic, took him into their group. Eric Kennington, a well-known portrait painter and sculptor, offered him a place to stay on his river barge, moored near Hammersmith on the Thames. Celandine Kennington ran a fabric workshop nearby. Len spent time there learning to make batiks – a fabric dying and printing process, using silk and aniline dyes that resulted in translucent designs that could be viewed from either side. Batik was a popular fashion in Europe and the UK in the 1920s. Len exhibited some of his batiks and others he sold or gifted to friends. Perhaps this was Len’s foray into painting directly onto film. Both techniques required special paints and dyes that would not flake off and that light could pass through. Len made his first colour film, A Colour Box, in 1935. He was intoxicated by the richness of the colour, especially when projected and said:
“If my first film Tusalava was the slowest film on earth, my next film was the fastest film ever made up to that time! A Colour Box was an experimental commercial for the British Government, all credit to John Grierson and Alberto Cavalcanti for allowing the try. It came about because I had been messing around drooling over the translucence of colour as I painted it directly onto celluloid.“
Ninety years later Dries Van Noten, from one of the influential group of avant-garde Belgian fashion designers, discovered Len and his films. He immediately felt an affinity with Len’s use of vibrant use of colour.
“Len Lye is so fascinating because when you see the films you think about the 1960s and its psychedelic era. Yet you discover that, in fact, this work was done in the late 1920s/early-30s by a guy in New Zealand who took a strip of celluloid and started to paint directly on it. He painted it black and scraped motifs out of it.”
Dries approached the Foundation who were happy to licence him to use or make reference to the colours, designs and texts from Len’s films in a collection of men’s and women’s fashion clothing. The collaboration between van Noten and the Foundation resulted in the stunning Spring/Summer 2021 Collection that was showcased in stores in Europe, the UK and the USA and also at our local Zambesi stores in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand.
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Len's batik 'Polynesian Connection' (1926)
 
The picture on the left shows the influence from the 'separated' colour shadows seen in Len's film 'Rainbow Dance' (1936) and the picture on the right shows the wavy lines evident in 'Colour Flight' 1938.
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LEN LYE: MOTION COMPOSER, BASEL 2019 February 5th, 2022
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Len Lye: Motion Composer at the Museum Tinguely
Despite challenges in the Arts, the last 3 or so years have been particularly productive for the Foundation. The following news items are a review of some of the exhibitions, new sculptures, research and publications during this period.
‘Len Lye: Motion Composer’, opened at the Museum Tinguely, Basel in October 2020. It is the most comprehensive exhibition of Len’s art to be seen in Europe and featured his kinetic sculptures, films, paintings, photograms, drawings and models occupying four large galleries in the museum. The exhibition examined in detail his early work in London through to the large and yet to be realised kinetic projects.
There was a particular emphasis on Len’s films, supplied by Nga Taonga Sound and Vision in New Zealand with titles seldom seen outside of the Len Lye Centre such as ‘Ariel’s Song’ (Full Fathom Five) and ‘Pictures for Percussion’.
Twelve kinetic sculptures were shown including a newly commissioned re-construction of ‘Sky Snake’ - its previous and only public display was at the Albright Knox Gallery in Buffalo, New York in 1965. Three works were borrowed from other collections: ‘Fountain II’ from the Whitney Museum, ‘Grass’ from the Albright Knox Gallery in Buffalo NY and ‘Loop’ from the Chicago Institute of Art.
Len Lye and Jean Tinguely knew one another and this exhibition bought them together once again. The spaces resounded with the sounds of their works as if the two artists were in conversation. Beautifully displayed against velvety black walls and, as the sculptures moved, flashes of light and colour bounced around the space. The movement drew you in like an invitation to dance - which was impossible to resist! The Museum Tinguely worked wonders in bringing to life and showcasing the joy of Len's work. .
The exhibition was accompanied by a two day seminar hosted by the University of Basel with invited speakers from Europe, the US, Canada and New Zealand
Programmes of films at the local film theatre followed each day’s proceedings. The first; ‘Len Lye’s Colour Box’ was introduced by Roger Horrocks and the second; ‘Len Lye on the Home Front’ was introduced by Len Lye Curator, Paul Brobbel.
The 460 page catalogue comprises three volumes: The first, ‘Len Lye: Motion Composer Works’ lists and illustrates the works, including the films. It also includes photo reproductions of pages from Len’s book, ‘No Trouble’. A second volume is a reproduction of Len’s sketchbook, ‘Totem and Taboo’ with an essay by Roger Horrocks that gives context to the art and ideas Len explored before his move to England. The third volume, ‘Texts’ is 150 pages of essays by authors; Andres Pardey, Paul Brobbel, Ann Stephen, Megan Tamati – Quennnell, Scott Anthony, Tyler Cann, Barry Schwabsky, Wystan Curnow and Janine Randerson.
The catalogue is available to purchase here.
Falling Films (Maria Webb and Harry Knight), a new production company based in Bristol, UK, created a short documentary in the days leading up to the opening.
The film is available to watch here.
Evan Webb, Director of the Len Lye Foundation takes us for a brief tour of the exhibition and Andres Pardey, Deputy, Director of the Museum Tinguely and curator of the exhibition, explains the significance of Lye and Tinguely in modern art.
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 "Loop, pictured above, was loaned by the Chicago Institute of Art".
 "Visitors entering the exhibition seen through the rods of Fountain loaned by the Whitney Museum".
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JOIN TEAM ZIZZ! June 11th, 2018
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In 1967 Len Lye, surrounded by a cacophonous medley of his sculptures in action, told a CBS television crew making the documentary, Art of the Sixties (about six quintessential New York artists) that: “his work would be ‘pretty good for the 21st century . . . Why the 21st? It’s simply that there won’t be the means to have what I want, which is enlarged versions of my work’; meaning that engineering, materials, and technology didn’t [yet] support his visions . . .”
Today, we have the means through advances in metallurgy, digital control technology, and advanced engineering to make good on Len’s bold statement and create a number of the kinetic and tangible motion sculptures that Len imagined for our century.
The Govett Brewster Art Gallery Foundation (as advocates and supporters of the Govett Brewster Art Gallery) and the Len Lye Foundation (as the owner and creator of the Len Lye works themselves), have joined together to promote a forward looking initiative for creating new large scale Len Lye kinetic sculptures. It is intended that these will form part of the major display of Lye works at the Len Lye/Govett Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth.
Team Zizz! is your chance to join a dynamic group of people with a collective purpose to financially support the creation of three such sculptures—Wand Dance, Sky Snake, and Spiral Frieze—ensuring that visitors to the Len Lye Centre are wowed for years to come and can truly “feel the zizz of the thing” as Len would say.
Team Zizz! is encouraging monthly, automatic contributions to suit your budget of either $50 per month, $100 per month or any greater amount per month that you may wish. As the money is paid over the term of one-to-three years from 2018–2020, this will enable a Christmas time launch of the three proposed sculptures in each of those years. The team purpose is to raise a total of $150,000 over up to three years with the funds used to create the three specific sculptures ($50,000 per year) and once the fund raising total is met, no further monies will be required.
To find out more details about this significant project, you can address one of our Trustees in person, email the Govett-Brewster Foundation at: foundation@govettbrewster.com or call Desmond Brice, Executive Officer, on: +64-6-759 6087
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Witch Dance pictured above, is a smaller version of Wand Dance which will have wands with bells over 12 feet high.
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WELCOME BRUCE AITKEN May 18th, 2018
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The Len Lye Foundation has contracted Bruce Aitken to assist director, Evan Webb in repairing and re-constructing the kinetic sculptures. Bruce is a watchmaker/clockmaker by trade and specialises in restoring antique timepieces. His considerable skills as a craftsman and an artist extend to wood working, metal work and jewellery. See for example, his wooden escapement sculpture at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF76oIePt-w. Bruce is currently employed as a technician in the Art and Design School at Ara Institute of Canterbury.
Bruce’s first job is to continue the re-construction of Roundhead. Although this is one of Lye’s smallest works it is nonetheless complex and requires the deft touch of a watchmaker’s hand. Roundhead includes a small music box; ‘altered’ to play occasional notes and sounds. These form a counterpoint to the polished rings that spin silently in space. Lye made several Roundhead sculptures during his life time and he intended this work to be continued after his death.
Bruce says: “The opportunity to work on Len Lye's work Roundhead is an absolute privilege. The delicate balance of motion and sound truly captivates the viewer. This is what I love about his kinetic sculptures - they connect with and intrigue audiences of all backgrounds and ages. Lye made the statement; 'The heart is the arbiter of value in the arts, not the intellect' - a view I agree with."
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Bruce Aitken examining Len Lye’s original Roundhead at the Len Lye Centre, New Plymouth
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WHY LEN LYE MATTERS November 9th, 2017
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Roger Horrocks and Sarah Davy were recently invited to present talks at the Canberra International Film Festival by festival director Andrew Pike. Both are trustees of the Foundation and have been long involved in archiving and documenting his films. Their talk, ‘Why Len Lye Matters’ was well received by an enthusiastic audience. Roger and Sarah also presented and screened, throughout the festival, extracts from Len’s films Tusalava, Rainbow Dance, Trade Tattoo, Free Radicals, Work Party, Musical Poster No. 1 and the documentary, Art of the Sixties: The Walls Come Tumbling Down,
Their session on Sunday 5 November in the Arc Cinema explored the context for Len Lye’s work, the sources of his inspiration, the broad scope of his achievements in film and in kinetic sculpture, and discussed the challenges of archiving it for the future.
Lye was influenced by his early years in Australia and New Zealand - particularly by, Māori, Aboriginal and Pacific art. In Sydney he learnt his early film craft before moving on to Britain and the United States where he made a series of unique films that pioneered new techniques and thrilled audiences by his lively methods of combining images with jazz.
Len matters because of the strength of his cultural resonance today – as evidenced by the Len Lye Centre, his influence on contemporary film-makers and sculptors, the way his sculptures enliven cityscapes and generate cultural tourism, along with his energetic commitment to the ethos of experimentation, though extensive research and development. As Roger observed:
‘Len matters to us as a role model of the experimental artist. He left a body of films which feel just as fresh and vibrant today as when they were first made. His innovations such as painting directly on film were picked up by many other film-makers. For example, the great animator Norman McLaren acknowledged Len’s films as a major source of inspiration. Today we are living in an extraordinary period, the age of the digital revolution, and Len’s spirit of innovation is something we urgently need’.
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Roger Horrocks and Sarah Davy at the Canberra International Film Festival
Photo courtesy of John Bannon, New Zealand High Commission
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STOPPED SHORT BY WONDER November 8th, 2017
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A large exhibition of Lye’s work has been held at the Canterbury Art Gallery, from 5 August to 26 November 2017. It has been presented in partnership with the Len Lye Foundation, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre and Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.
5 August – 26 November 2017
The title of the exhibition refers to the fact that Lye’s art was ‘inspired by a flash of light and a thunderclap.’
The exhibition gained special relevance from the fact that Lye’s work was returning home to the city in which he’d been born (back in 1901).
The exhibition includes 11 moving sculptures, paintings, drawings, doodles and eight of his experimental films.
Christchurch Art Gallery senior curator Lara Strongman said it was the "perfect moment" to bring Lye's works to Christchurch: "Len Lye's work is so full of life and energy and it fundamentally impresses everyone who sees it. They have an emotional reaction. It lifts you out of yourself and charges up your spirit. It is so full of life and cheer and vigour.
“There are a generation of children who have not experienced these works and I would like to share them with them."
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Len Lye's Fountain at the Christchurch Art Gallery
(Photo courtesy of the Christchurch Art Gallery)
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