How much visual information does one need to discern another moving human? What is the relationship between man and machine? These abstruse questions yield surprisingly playful answers in ‘On the Body’, a new exhibition by Random International at the Pace Gallery in New York. Hannes Koch and Florian Ortkrass, the founders of the Berlin- and London-based contemporary design studio, showed six new interactive pieces from the past two years.
Arranged chronologically, the show highlights two of the firm’s latest projects: Fifteen Points, a robotic sculpture that executes a rather jaunty walk through LED lights; and Blur Mirror, a reflective work composed of tiny tiles that cloud the face of one’s reflection. For Fifteen Points, Koch and Ortkrass worked with the BioMotion Lab at Queen’s University to translate the data of the ‘average human walk’ into a mechanised movement. ‘We were interested in the secondary information one gets through miniscule changes like emotions or gender,’ Koch says. (Fifteen Points reads as male and appears to be happy, as far as robots go.) Blur Mirror is described by the pair as ‘very analogue – we manipulated the mirrored tiles to vibrate at a high-speed to give the appearance of a digitised experience even though it is a mechanical process’.
Other pieces in the exhibition evolved out of Random International’s collaboration with choreographer Wayne McGregor in 2010 and further explore the body’s movement. For example, Small Study / I (FAR) lights up in response to motion and its thick layers of lights and panels invite the viewer to interact with it on multiple sides. Conversely, Fragments, a grid of 200 square mirrors, physically tilts and turns to follow its viewers. As a whole, the exhibition explores light, shadow, motion and the human perspective in an up-close, personal way. ‘We like to create one-on-one experiences where the person has a very intimate encounter with the work,’ Ortkrass concludes.
Blur Mirror, one of the firm's latest projects, manipulates tiles to make them vibrate at high speed, giving the viewer the appeareance of a digitised experience
A study for Fifteen Points, a robotic sculpture that executes a rather jaunty walk through LED lights
For Fifteen Points, Koch and Ortkrass worked with the BioMotion Lab at Queen’s University to translate the data of the ‘average human walk’ into a mechanised movement
Fragments comprises a grid of 200 square mirrors, physically tilting and turning to 'follow' the viewer
Small Study / I (FAR) lights up in response to motion. Its layers of lights and panels invite the viewer to interact from multiple approaches
Other pieces in the exhibition evolved out of Random International’s collaboration with choreographer Wayne McGregor in 2010 and further explore the body’s movement
INFORMATION
‘On the Body’ is on view until 22 October. For more information, visit the Pace Gallery’s website
ADDRESS
Pace Gallery
537 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10001
-
‘As an artist, I’ve never felt more useful than now’: Steve McQueen on his monumental film screening in AmsterdamThe film director on why now felt like the right time to screen a previously unseen 34-hour version of his 2023 documentary ‘Occupied City’, on the façade of the Rijksmuseum
-
Seven designers rethinking wood at London Design FestivalAt this year’s London Design Festival, wood proves itself anything but static. We highlight seven designers shaping, colouring, and engineering it in surprising ways
-
Inside Kazakhstan’s brutalist Tselinny cinema – now a hub for contemporary cultureTselinny Center of Contemporary Culture, a modernist landmark redesigned for its new purpose by Asif Khan, gears up for its grand opening in Kazakhstan
-
Stephen Prina borrows from pop, classical and modern music: now MoMA pays tribute to his performance work‘Stephen Prina: A Lick and a Promise’ recalls the artist, musician, and composer’s performances, and is presented throughout MoMA. Prina tells us more
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekWith the return of back-to-school, it's back to business for the Wallpaper* team, who’ve been making the rounds at fashion pop-ups and pavilion launches. Elsewhere, we’ve been indulging in new literature and old restaurants, and taking in a farewell exhibition at a landmark gallery...
-
Curtains up, Kid Harpoon rethinks the sound of Broadway production ‘Art’He’s crafted hits with Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus; now songwriter and producer Kid Harpoon (aka Tom Hull) tells us about composing the music for the new, all-star Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza’s play ‘Art’
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekHere in the UK, summer seems to be fading fast. Moody skies and showers called for early-autumn rituals for the Wallpaper* team: retreating into the depths of the Tate Modern, slipping into shadowy cocktail bars, and curling up with a good book
-
Richard Prince recontextualises archival advertisements in TexasThe artist unites his ‘Posters’ – based on ads for everything from cat pictures to nudes – at Hetzler, Marfa
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAnother week, another flurry of events, opening and excursions showcasing the best of culture and entertainment at home and abroad. Catch our editors at Scandi festivals, iconic jazz clubs, and running the length of Manhattan…
-
The best Ruth Asawa exhibition is actually on the streets of San FranciscoThe artist, now the subject of a major retrospective at SFMOMA, designed many public sculptures scattered across the Bay Area – you just have to know where to look
-
Orlando Museum of Art wants to showcase more Latin American and Hispanic artists. Do you fit the bill?The Florida gallery calls for for Hispanic and Latin American artists to submit their work for an ongoing exhibition
