Wingbeat (1983–87)
The Wingbeat series comprises a collection of kinetic objects in which the dream of flying, the gestures of nature, and the language of the machine are interwoven. The starting point is forms and materials reminiscent of feathers, wings, and organic structures—often cast in polyurethane, simultaneously fragile and resilient. These are connected with gears, belts, flywheels, and linkages, creating a movement that oscillates between animal grace and technical construction.
The objects are partly electrically powered and partly manually operated. Crucially, the illusion of actual flight is less important than the poetic translation of the wingbeat as a gesture: rhythmic, beating, breathing. The combination of resin, fabric, and metal creates hybrid beings that resemble experimental setups from a workshop—somewhere between sculpture, machine, and living organism.
In the context of the 1980s, the works appear as reflections on technological progress, but also on its limitations: machines that aim not for efficiency, but for poetic sensuality. Wingbeat is thus a cycle about the longing to overcome gravity—and at the same time a metaphor for the fragile relationship between nature and technology.
Dr. Pelle Solus
Dr. Pelle Solus
About the objects and drawings: