Schöffer: Minieffet light box

Schöffer: CYSP 1 / kinetic sculpture

Much like generative art, kinetic and cybernetic art suffer from being broadly defined. As historical movements, they encompass Op Art artists like Vasarely, video artists like Nam June Paik and sculptors like Calder. As art forms they are steeped in the utopian ideas of the 60s, and so often considered to be passé manifestations of Modernist thought.

But the basic drive behind the work sounds familiar: To create images and sculptures that change and move, rather than remain static objects. Norbert Wiener’s theories about cybernetic systems and feedback loops also strongly influenced the kinetic art scene, resulting in reactive sculptures that must be considered early interactive art.

Nicolas Schöffer was one of the pioneers of kinetic art, a classic multi-artist like so many artists working in the 50s and 60s, trying his hand at painting, sculpture, architecture, film and even music, always with a consistent interest in dynamic form. He broke new ground with his sculpture CYSP 1 (1956). Equipped with photo-electric cells and a microphone, it is considered the first reactive sculpture, with light and sound conditions provoking changes in the sculpture’s structure. Schöffer also created psychelic light boxes like Minieffet, which was mass-produced in an edition of 5000 copies by Editions Denise René. Using lightbulbs, perforated masks and screens the box produces a range of animated optical effects. He was a classic multi-artist like so many artists working in the 50s and 60s, trying his hand at painting, sculpture, architecture, film and even music, always with a consistent interest in dynamic form.

Looking at a virtual museum of Schöffer’s work it is striking to see the links both to the Constructivists of the past and the abstract software work being created today. His “spatiodynamic” sculptures look just wonderful. For more information, read [Joseph Nechvatal's review of an exhibition of Schöffer's work] or this site at Leonardo Online, which attempts to present a fairly complete vision of his art. The latter site is mostly in French, but contains many images. There is also a page over on re-title about a "found exhibition" of Schöffer's work (curated by The Centre of Attention.)

(via Antoine on the eu-gene list)