Kinetica Artfair

BACK TO REAL

French-Swiss Matthieu Schönholzer, is one of the original pioneers in the 3D-FX computer graphics industry, now breaking free from the 'virtual world', Matthieu presents his début piece as an emerging sculptor - his sinuous, Mechanical Ocean Wave.

After over 30 years specialising in motion capture and motion control techniques, creating real-time, interactive tools for interactive games and the performing arts sector, he straddles the two worlds with a fusion of mechanical engineering and artistic elegance in his ocean wave simulator.

Historically, sculptures seeking to represent kinetic waveforms have been sine waves with no surface distortion. Whilst capturing a certain fluidity of movement, this mathematical precision fails to capture the rolling, 'ripple effect' that stimulates a unique, enigmatic emotion within each observer of ocean waves. Schönholzer's Mechanical Ocean Wave approaches this challenge from a different perspective. Using animation techniques that plot the points defining the curve of an ocean wave, he revealed that the points inscribe circles that penetrate one another.

His kinetic sculpture does not seek to highlight the mechanism by which the device operates, or the mathematical principles that underpin the design. Instead, Schönholzer seeks to arouse in his audience the thrill that is inspired by the beauty of the sea in its continuous, eternal motion.