Martin Smith is an artist whose research and work are concerned with people’s perception and interpretation of space. He undertakes quite large architectural commissions that interact with their given space and the viewer through mechanical movement. Alongside this work, his practice is also concerned with making kinetic devices that investigate themes of repetition, precision and rules.
It was our great pleasure to photograph this specially commissioned group made by Martin who explained a little more below :
“I was delighted to be asked by Bauman Lyons Architects ( @baumanlyons ) to create a series of celebratory kinetic sculptures. Bauman Lyons is an architecture practice that is imaginative and grounded in the idea of making in its widest sense, objects, spaces and places. I’ve worked collaboratively with their team on various projects over the last 13 years and usually, through no fault of theirs, these ideas have ended up filed on my unrealised projects shelf!
So, as the practice went through a transformation with the founders, Irena Bauman and Maurice Lyons standing down to take on other projects, the Director Guy Smith asked me to work with him on a series of pieces that encapsulated the kinetic things we had tried to make over the years as leaving presents that would help keep them all connected.
What resulted was a series of three intricate kinetic pieces that celebrate materiality and fluid mechanical movements, titled: Bla, Bla, Bla! Waving (Not Goodbye).
They were gifted, but with the intention that they are a sort of time share with the owners meeting annually to swap their current piece for the next in the series. This way everyone has the chance to own each piece and a regular reunion happens.”
