HUMAN VS MATERIAL
As part of a collective I each built a replica of one of the works made under the German art school Bauhaus. Although they are known for combining form and function in modernist design, we instead approached their work with humor. I was quickly drawn to a material study by Takehiko Mizutani, and his playful vision of metal.
2022
My replica is accompanied by a wallpaper that shows the material and myself in motion. This performative video represents the sometimes frustrating yet surprising process a designer goes through when working with a new material. One can always try to dominate in their work, but the material will always decide the outcome.
In the installation, the audience takes up the role of the designer. The object is staged at eye level, yet its wallpaper and shadow is much larger and taller than the audience. The more the audience approaches the replica, a cog and motor in the shape of the golden ration pulls at its string. The metal laughs, yet gradually wears out.
Self developed tool for metalsheet bending
Wooden cog
Stepper motors
Fishing wire
Arduino