- Installations, Kinetic, Sound art
Chaotic flights
Møstings Hus, ‘Nature Symphony’, Frederiksberg, Denmark. September – November 2022.
Clear plastic sheets, nylon line, plexiglass, wood, mechanical components, motors.
Variable dimensions.
Photos by Torben Eskerod and George Koutsouris.
Description
Two plexiglass discs spin at fixed speeds (slightly different from each other) by means of two AC motors.
The discs constantly pull and release a configuration of nylon line and transparent plastic sheets, which are eventually set into flying motion, like kites in the wind.
Although the discs spin in a totally predictable manner, the flights of the transparent sheets are totally chaotic and unpredictable, due to the not-so-obvious complexity of the system.
The sheets are visible mostly via the light reflections on them and allude vivid movements of birds, when looked from a distance.
The playful movement of the sheets causes them to vibrate and emit ‘bubbly’ sounds that could resemble birdcalls from sci-fi birds…
About 'Nature Symphony'
The solo exhibition Nature Symphony is a total installation triggered by mechanical sound sculptures that create an unpredictable soundscape of the movements from wind, water, plants etc. through Møstings’ high-ceilinged rooms.
Koutsouris has been inspired by the movements and sounds of nature, and with this exhibition he examines human’s relationship with nature by questioning our increasing need for control in an otherwise uncontrollable world.
With Nature Symphony, Koutsouris invites us on a journey full of contrasts. While we might think that we are listening to the trickling of water in the stream or the rustling of leaves in the wind, we see something completely different. In the exhibition we meet constructions of wood, metal, plastic and electronics, all clearly man-made and industrial. Most of the works turn on and off automatically by mechanisms created by the artist, while others are activated interactively by the audience.
The works are created for Møstings, which in the 19th century was used as a summer residence, placed close to Frederiksberg’s cultivated nature. The exhibition connects the past and the present through a poetic narrative about civilization’s view on nature. The unique sounds of each work are carefully matched to the acoustics of the rooms, and together they form the sound of a wonderful landscape. By using low-tech mechanics to mimic nature, Koutsouris emphasizes that machines should be built to restore natural environments.