Cycle is a kinetic ring of light, poised on the surface of the water dancing with its refection. The sculpture accelerates from stationary, rotating on its vertical axis, only to fall into a dive, with the spin building in frequency and lean until it becomes a blur racing on top of the water’s surface. Without stopping, the ring rises and returns to the balanced upright position, revealing a majestic choreography as it slows to a humble static object.
The artwork is based on the dynamic movement of a spinning coin, or Euler’s disk. Unlike a disk, Cycle’s period of decay is followed by rebirth, where the cycle starts anew. It takes a great deal of engineering to mimic this seemingly simple motion, so Cycle is effectively an illusion. Below the water level sits a device that applies three forms of motion to an otherwise static ring. Within this, a central motor rotates the entire art work, while a lateral hydraulic cylinder changes the position of the base of the ring from the central axis all the way to the radial edge. The secondary cylinder controls the rise and fall of the ring; from flat against the waters surface, to balancing delicately upright on its vertical edge.
Shortlisted for the 2016/17 Amsterdam Light Festival.