Kinetic Sculpture
"Moment/um" unfolds as an air compressor breathes life into a plastic tube, setting off a choreography of unpredictable movements across its ground. In this kinetic work, the conduit becomes both the conductor and the canvas, responding to the force of compressed air in spontaneous and unpredictable rhythms. The interplay of chaos and environment gives rise to a living, ever-evolving artwork. Borrowing materials from industrial manufacturing, the sculpture further plays with the idea of the living mechanical where the forces of the natural world converge with the precision of human engineering. This constant state of flux asks us to consider the chaotic and the deliberate forces that shape our world.
“An air compressor squeezing air into a tube, as featured in Gill Baldwin’s (1992) kinetic sculpture Moment/um (2023), is not exactly what you would call human. But because of the writhing movements and unpredictable rhythm of the tube snaking across the floor, you can’t help feeling somewhat compassionate towards it. As if the air compressor has literally breathed life into the tube. Exactly that tension, between life and technology, is a recurring theme in Baldwin’s multidisciplinary work. She is interested in the relationship between humanity and technology and how it is subject to constant change. This raises the question whether human values and emotions will be compromised when technology and artificiality finally gain the upper hand. Who or what will eventually take control and therefore also seize power?” - Text by Esther Darley
Photography by Beeldsmits
Photography by Beeldsmits
Photography by Beeldsmits