The M.A.D.Gallery presents "Forward Motion," a collection of seven remarkable kinetic artworks by this kinetic artist. Each piece is flawlessly crafted and uniquely brought to life – captivatingly turning, spinning, and moving freely with the assistance of a gentle breeze or light touch of the hand.
The son of an artist and an architect, creativity runs in de Movellán's blood. "One of the first explorations of balance involved finding a way to balance a stick on a rock and have it seesaw gently up and down. Something about that captivated me," the artist shares. This impression is carried through his work today, which centres around forward motion and draws on music, nature, and his love of all things mechanical.
Each piece in the collection performs an entrancing spectacle crafted singlehandedly by de Movellán. Using machining tools as an extension of his hands to shape stainless steel and aerospace-grade aluminium, he engineers rotating, spinning sculptures that provide endless compositions – as if dancing, these lyrical constructions waltz and sway elegantly to music only they can hear.
To achieve the desired performance, each component is meticulously shaped and weighted with brass counterweights enabling the shapes to oscillate uninhibitedly. "Most of the time, the challenge is making a sculpture that moves incredibly gracefully and light as a feather, yet [remains] strong and durable." Apart from a few pieces featuring pendulum and escapement mechanisms, the majority of de Movellán's artworks use simple rotating shafts on high-precision bearings.
Similar to the motion of a roller coaster, the five oblong shapes of the "Flying Dutchman" sweep and loop around, taking all in their presence for a wild ride, speeding up for fractions of moments before once again slowing down to gather momentum. This sculpture, comprising black-anodized and nickel-plated aluminium and stainless steel, stands 35 inches (88.9 cm) tall. In the same spirit but slightly smaller in size, "Dihedral Green" rhythmically spins two arms with teardrop-shaped extensions, their brushed surfaces cheerfully accented with a mint powder- coated edge.
"Lunette" adds another dimension to the artist's work by strategically placing six arms with spinning teardrops on one axis, creating a dazzling show of seemingly choreographed movements. This kinetic sculpture standing 36 inches (91.4 cm) high features components made of brass, stainless steel, and brushed aluminium with a rich green powder-coated edge emphasising the motion. Time seems to stand still when observing the endless geometric patterns unfolding in this work of art.
The ebb and flow of "Halcyon" is reminiscent of a kaleidoscope. Here, de Movellán strategically positions four golden arms ending in openworked circles and crescent shapes, vacillating in seamless motions creating a continuously evolving scene of shapes against a deep black backdrop. The fluid movement of this framed kinetic work is powered by electricity. "Halcyon" is made using powder-coated aluminium, acrylic paint on aluminium, powder-coated brass and stainless steel.
Through sound and motion, "Eclipse" captures the hypnotic power of kinetic art. Similar to a longcase clock, "Eclipse" is powered by a weighted pendulum and moves gracefully thanks to its time-portioning escapement; a clutch bearing allows only forward motion. Once in action, the arm swings in circular motions, almost emulating the hands of a clock. This impressive work makes the passage of time tangible, the ticking escapement and continuous motion tracking time without actually measuring it.
