Kinetic Art

In a previous article, I spoke about how a crucial ingredient to happiness is taking part in meaningful activities. Some qualities I gave of a meaningful activity included:

• Doing something that makes the world a better place
• Doing something that makes people happier
• Doing something that broadens human understanding of the world and themselves

Artists who make Kinetic Art in a way do all of these things:

• They make the world a better place by adding beauty to it through the addition of beautiful kinetic sculptures. Even with a dingy, relatively ugly area, if a beautiful sculpture is added; the area is aethetically improved.
• They make people feel uplifted when people look at the beautiful art and appreciate it; enjoy it; are wowed by it; feel inspired by it.
• Kinetic art even has the potential of broadening human understanding of the world in several ways:
  - Broadening of our definition of art: It stretches the definition of art beyond the 2D, still definition, to a relatively little-explored 3D MOVING definition.  Growing in your exploration of art in this way is a type of “expansion”.
  - Broadening our understanding of primal elements in nature: Many kinetic sculptures also use natural elements like wind, solar power or water to move, and in doing this, every time you look at a kinetic artwork you are made aware of these primal elements which are so easy to take for granted. It heightens our awareness of these things in our world, and has the potential of inspiring us to utilize them in new and exciting ways.

Examples of beautiful, inspiring Kinetic Art

I’d like to share with you some kinetic art which has inspired me:

Kinetic art by Anthony Howe

Wind-powered sculpture, “Octo”:

“Kinetic rain” by Art+Com

This kinetic art masterpiece was made in a combined effort by programmers, animators and artists from German design firm, Art+Com. The piece has been installed in Singapore’s Changi Airport (in the Departures Check-in hall, Terminal 1)

Kinetic Wind Sculpture by Ralfonso

Crookes radiometer

Also called the “light mill”, the technology behind this piece of light-powered kinetic art was accidentally discovered by a scientist called Sir William Crookes in 1873. People have been making versions of his radiometer ever since:

I think there is potential for this type of technology to be used to make all sorts of beautiful light-powered kinetic art.