Art in Motion: Exploring the Possibilities of Kinetic Art

Lead Student Presenter(s)

Sohye Park

Abstract or Description

Through my capstone project I explored how movement and interactivity push the limitations of traditional, static art and can create a different visual experience for the artist and the audience. To accomplish this, I transformed a piece of static sculpture that I have worked on previously into a kinetic sculpture functioning as a rotating wheel that contextually gives light to the hidden reality, how progress, effort, and labor is oftentimes ignored by the outcome or the result of that labor. After researching different methods to add movement to this sculpture such as use of arduino and motors or applying physical movement, I decided to use a hand-cranking mechanism using handles connected to gears for rotation. I created digital models to figure out the mechanism before starting the construction of the final piece. I created multiple prototypes to make sure that all the mechanisms function correctly. Lastly I redesigned the visual aspect of the sculpture to improve the contextual meaning behind this artwork. After many trial and errors, I was able to transform a piece of static art and completed a final kinetic sculpture that created a different experience of interaction and engagement with the audience.

Mentor

Ling-lin Ku and Stephanie Murray