Almost two weeks ago, I said on Monday, if everything goes well, I'm going to visit two exhibitions. I was 100% sure that's what's going to happen. On Monday, everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong and all the exhibitions I planned to visit were closed. I know what you're going to say, that museums and galleries are closed on Monday, but it's not the case here because these are not regular museums or art galleries. I was just unlucky because there was an unofficial holiday. This goes to show you can never be sure of anything in this life.
Anyway, after two weeks of intense trading, on Friday I finally took the time to go visit one of the exhibitions and trust me, it was a much needed break from every point of view. What I got was something I've never dreamed of. Going to so many exhibitions you think you've seen it all, then you realize how wrong you are and this exhibition was the concrete proof of that.
It was a solo exhibition of Levente Kiss, a sculptor with an immense talent and imagination.
When I stepped in the exhibition hall, this is what I saw. The lady came in as well and told me she has to put things in motion, which seemed strange to me but I thought she wanted to turn on the lights. I'm a regular there, I usually turn the lights on and off after I leave, but it wasn't that.
Imagine, most of these sculptures had a small engine and were moving. My jaw dropped, when I saw all these beauties moving in their own way. Unfortunately the photos won't show you how they moved, but I took three shots of this, to give you an idea.
The title of this artwork was Round and Round and that's exactly what it did. All the wheels were turning and the beauty of it was the execution. The material seemed copper to me, but I may be wrong, I don't know, but it was like a Swiss watch to me, perfectly made.
Teetering
I was looking at each of these things and was thinking, you need to be an engineer as well, not just an artist, to be able to execute them. You need to have a good dose of knowledge in physics as well.
End Of The Road
At first you think it's the wheel of a chariot, which most likely inspired the artist, but it is more than that. I love how he depicted the idea of a road and the end of it. Being made of wood makes it more valuable for me.
This thing was rotating. I tried to take a decent photo, but none of the two are perfect.
To Foliot
Roaming around the exhibition room, looking at these interesting artworks and listening to the strange sounds these were making, made me realize this is how the life of those early inventors must have been. I'm pretty sure these or similar ideas led technology where it is today and that these inventions must have been a huge step forward back in those days.
Doing my usual research for the post proves me right and the invention above is one such case. I had no idea what Foliot means or who he was in case it was a real person and doing the research, this is what I came across.
The verge escapement dates from 13th-century Europe, where its invention led to the development of the first all-mechanical clocks. Starting in the 13th century, large tower clocks were built in European town squares, cathedrals, and monasteries. They kept time by using the verge escapement to drive a foliot, a primitive type of balance wheel. The foliot was a horizontal bar with weights near its ends affixed to a vertical bar called the verge which was suspended free to rotate. The verge escapement caused the foliot to oscillate back and forth about its vertical axis. The rate of the clock could be adjusted by moving the weights in or out on the foliot. source
Here you can see what a foliot is.
Mill
This is a simple tool, made of wood, but I'm sure many of the early mills used this system. I've seen several of the old mills, powered by wind, water or horses and was happy to see this exhibit at the exhibition. I hope people can make the connection.
Fountain
Pendulum
The bob of the pendulum was also moving, swinging back and forth, as these pendulums work.
I was thinking, how the tools of an old science lab can work as exhibits, or artworks in an art gallery. Obviously these are not science lab pieces, so their beauty was the main purpose, but still.
This is just a part of the exhibition, so you can expect more in the upcoming days. I hope you liked them as much as I did.
If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:
