Poetry in motion: M.A.D Gallery displays Jennifer Townley's kinetic art
Dutch artist Jennifer Townley, whose Perpetual Transience exhibition is showing at the MB&F M.A.D. Gallery in Geneva until 11 June, has a unique take on geometrically engineered kinetic art.
An early love of geometry and a predilection for engineering, combined with an interest in the work of graphic artist M.C. Escher, led her to see order in a world where chaos reigns. 'Nature, particularly its mathematical structures, is a great inspiration to me,' Townley explains. 'Looking at it makes me feel peaceful and strengthens my confidence in the thought that the world is actually a beautiful place.' Her pieces go beyond works of art, elevating it out of the one-dimensional with gears and wheels that are more commonly seen in horology. Here, they are used to create mechanical sculptures which subtly distort the observer's perspective with their hypnotising and repetitive movements.
The result is silent, peaceful, captivating. The tranquility Townley sees in the machines is the direct result of their very mindlessness. 'You can easily imagine machines to be natural organisms; brainless creatures that are driven by a force and move around. Mechanical watches share the same phenomena, they could be some strange insects living on people's arms and in return giving them the time.'
Like a watch, there is so much more to the sculptures then first meets the eye, and even seemingly solid shapes are constantly shifting. In Cubes, the cubes transform gently into diamonds which are lulled hypnotisingly backwards and forwards. We're teased by geometrical shapes again in the De Rode Draad piece, where a striking piece of red thread appears and disappears, noiselessly forming new outlines. In Lift, differently sized revolving cogwheels create erratic, almost uncomfortable movements that twist your expectations of what is coming next. Squares is similarly unpredictable, reminiscent of a mechanical watch movement in its interlocking gear wheels that create shapes which materialise and dissolve as they make their revolutions.
Mesmerising as this may be, it is also laced with a sense of unease. Townley was keen for the viewer to feel alternate states of tension and relief and, as the order of the repetition clashes with the chaos and unpredictability, you can't help but feel anxious. Ultimately though, the finished effect is sublime, even serene: 'As an artist I hoped to recreate the natural beauty and let other people see it too,' she concludes.
INFROMATION
Perpetual Transience runs until 11 June. For more information, visit the MB&F M.A.D gallery website
ADDRESS
Rue Verdaine 11
1204 Genève, Switzerland
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
Riva El-Iseo is the legendary boat builder’s first fully-electric motor yacht
The Riva El-Iseo electric speedboat blends classic Italian lines with a silent, powerful and zero-emission powertrain
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Technogym Home Bench 40 ways: designers interpret the home exercise classic
Technogym marks its 40 anniversary with 40 special editions of its Home Bench created in collaboration with international creatives
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
AHEC presents new works in American maple as part of the Wallpaper* Class of ’24
The American Hardwood Export Council takes part in the Wallpaper* Class of ’24 exhibition at Triennale Milano during Salone del Mobile (16-21 April 2024), presenting new pieces by Parti and Giles Tettey Nartey in American hard maple
By Rosa Bertoli Published