Kinetic Sculptures

Kinetic Sculptures are examples of kinetic art in the form of sculpture. In common with other types of kinetic art, kinetic sculptures have parts that move or that are in motion. The movement may be real or imagined, as in the case of kinetic sculpture using light or projection, for instance in the work of Abraham Palatnik. sound sculpture can also, in some cases, be considered kinetic sculpture. The motion of the work can be provided in many ways: mechanically through electricity, steam or clockwork; by utilising natural phenomena such as wind or wave power; or by relying on the spectator to provide the motion, by cranking a handle, shifting viewpoints or even by optical illusion. The term kinetic art was first recorded by the sculptors Naum Gabo and Antoine Pevsner in their Realist Manifesto issued as part of a manifesto of constructivism in 1920 in Moscow .

The name is derived from the Greek "kinesis" meaning motion, and related to the scientific term kinetic energy, which is the energy contained in a mass due to its motion.

The 1950s and 1960s are seen as a golden age of kinetic sculpture, during which time Alexander Calder (inventor of the mobile) and George Rickey pioneered kinetic sculpture. Other leading exponents include Yaacov Agam, Eduard Bersudsky, Marcel Duchamp, Arthur Ganson, Starr Kempf, Jerome Kirk, Len Lye, Ronald Mallory, Jean Tinguely, and the Zero group.

Mobiles are a type of kinetic sculpture. Some kinetic sculptures are wind-powered as are those of Theo Jansen, and others are motor driven. A variety of human powered craft, such as art bikes, involved in cross country races and parades are considered kinetic sculpture.

Kinetic sculptures are often implemented as installation art.

In 1969, artists in a small northern California town began the Kinetic sculpture race which has grown to a 42 mile, three-day all terrain, human-powered sculpture race and county wide event.

A mobile is a type of kinetic sculpture constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium. It consists of a number of rods, from which weighted objects or further rods hang. The objects hanging from the rods balance each other, so that the rods remain more or less horizontal. Each rod hangs from only one string, which gives it freedom to rotate about the string.

The sculptor Alexander Calder is well known for his mobiles. Calder is credited with inventing the mobile in 1931, although it was named by Marcel Duchamp. Mobiles are also popular in the nursery, where they hang over cribs to give infants something to entertain them and give them external visual stimulation.

Mobiles have inspired many composers, including Morton Feldman and Earle Brown who were inspired by Calder to create mobile-like indeterminate pieces.

The meaning of the term “mobile” as applied to sculpture has evolved since it was first suggested by Marcel Duchamp in 1931 to describe the early, mechanized creations of Alexander Calder. At this point, “mobile” was synonymous with the term “kinetic art”, describing sculptural works in which motion is a defining property. While motor or crank-driven moving sculptures may have initially prompted it, the word “mobile” later came to refer more specifically to Calder’s free-moving creations. Influenced by the abstract work of Mondrian, Miró and Arp, Calder in many respects invented an art form where objects (typically brightly coloured, abstract shapes fashioned from sheet metal) are connected by wire much like a balance scale. By sequentially attaching additional objects, the final creation consists of many balanced parts joined by lengths of wire whose individual elements are capable of moving independently or as a whole when prompted by air movement or direct contact. Thus, “mobile” has become a more well-defined term referring to the many such hanging constructs Calder produced in a prolific manner between the 1930’s and his death in 1976. A succinct definition of the term “mobile” in a visual art sense could be a type of kinetic sculpture in which an ensemble of balanced parts capable of motion are hung freely in space.