'MKP_01', 2020

MKP_01 (Mechanised Kinetic Piece 01) is the first of two kinetic sculptures that I designed for Year 12 TCE Art, inspired by the work of the Russian Constructivists and a quote from the 1924 novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. The quote reads:

"Suddenly I saw the equipment: the regulator globes, their eyes closed, oblivious, were twisting around; the cranks were glistening and bending to the left and right; the balance beam was proudly heaving its shoulders; the bit of the router was squatting athletically to the beat of some unheard music. I suddenly saw the whole beauty of this grandiose mechanical ballet, flooded with the light of the blue-eyed sun. But why? My thoughts continued — why beautiful? Why is the dance beautiful? Answer: because it is non-free movement. Because all the fundamental significance of the dance lies in its aesthetic subjection, its ideal nonfreedom. And if it is true that our ancestors gave themselves over to dancing at the most inspired moments in their lives, that can only mean one thing: that from time immemorial the instinct of nonfreedom has been an organic part of man and that we, in our present-day life, are only deliberately... I have lost my train of thought."

The impetus for my project came from this idea of a mechanical ballet, of ideal nonfreedom. I was determined to capture beauty through simple mechanical motion.
MKP_01 and MKP_02 were designed together before either one was constructed independently so that I was sure that I was creating two artworks which complemented each other aesthetically. The design process for MKP_01 began with designing three prototypes, which explored how I could mechanically achieve the type of movement I wanted and how I could make this appear visually appealing. My experiments with form led me to choose a design that used fractal patterns as the body of my moving shape.
The artwork is made from a Tasmanian oak frame, treated pine structure, laser-cut aluminium, and two 12 V electric motors.
I had to create this project in my loungeroom as it was built during COVID lockdown, and I finished the project literally never wanting to look at it ever again. I could not fit the sculpture out the door of my house, so I had to break-down and rebuild it in 24 hours for the exhibition, and heaps of the parts broke, so I could barely get it working for the final presentation.
Due to the nature of the project, despite the design being 100% mine, I had to get help with various parts of the project from my woodwork teachers and my parents, so it felt like I was not in full control of my project. The fact that I had to build it in my loungeroom during lockdown also led to a feeling of being unable to escape from it. I learned a lot though, and I was really happy with the final result.