Kinetic Sculpture is a kind of art the contains movement perceivable by the viewer or depends on motion for its effect. This kind of sculpture brings us a sense of flowing and movement. The two kinetic sculptures I like is “Kinetic Rain” in the Singapore Changi airport, and “Cuber Tower” by Ralfonso Gschwend.
Kinetic Rain
Cuber Tower
The Kinetic Rain comprises 180g of copper-plated aluminum droplets, of which choreography is controlled by a set of high precision motors. The project is the brainchild of artists, programmers and technologists who analyzed space, passenger flow, and the bustle of activity at the airport to create an artwork that enhances the identity of Terminal 1.
The Cube Tower is an 8 m sculpture without the base in Changchun, China, built in 2012. It consists of 316 mirror polished Stainless Steel. And it is also the winner of the 2013 and 2015 CoDA Top 100 Public Sculptures Awards.
By comparing the two sculptures, I found some similarities as well as differences. For similarity, firstly, both of the two sculptures are made of metal (as their main material). Secondly, their shapes all bring a sense of imbalance, which adds to our feeling of “moving”. Actually, as kinetic sculptures, they are moving from time to time. However, they do have various differences listed below:
- The connection between the components of Kinetic Rain is a string, while for the Cube Tower, it is metal. The former brings more sense of movement, while the latter feels more independent. I think the reason for this is because of the difference in force between the components. The Cuber Tower is heavier, and it should stand instead of hang.
- The way that the sculpture move is different. The Kinetic Rain moves upward and downward, while the Cube Tower rotates.
- The number of elements is different. For the Kinetic Rain, it has 1,216 bronze droplets, while the Cube Tower has only 5 cubes. The former one looks more like liquid, while the latter one looks more stable.
- Force driven. The Kinetic Rain is driven by additional force, while the Cube Tower takes advantage of the wind.
Kinetic Sculptures are really interesting that they can bring up our sense of harmony. While researching, I also found some interesting videos attach below: