Event 1: COLOR LIGHT MOTION: Featuring Ryszard Kluszczyński

    The event was led by Ryszard Kluszyński with Victoria Vesna and guests such as London Tsai and Steve Dixon. The main topic was Cybernetics and its connection with Wen-Ying Tsai’s work, which is “the science of communications and automatic control systems in both machines and living things.” (Merriam-Webster). The viewership of Tsai's work is that “The sculptures of Tsai are self-organizing systems.” (Kluszyński and Vesna). 

Cybernetic Sculpture: Square Tops 1969

    The introduction of 1960s futurism and “cyborg” inspired art was major. The fascination for such art came with the Second Industrial Revolution as we met with the various romanticized and imaginative approaches to the future with technology taking over rapidly. (Stachowiak). Such would include Tsai’s wonderful work. Pioneering concepts such as the Kinetic artist and Cybernetic sculptor. It had major connections to Week 3's concept of "Robotics and Art."

                                        

                                                                          Wen-ying Tsai

    Tsai's work was ontological and precise. His background as an engineer only furthered his understanding in creating his works. He found beauty in his ability to create an interactive piece that illuminates the beauty behind math and physics. The self-organization in predicting what output is given out when interacting with the piece displays the amount of curation and calculation that went behind the work. Tsai messed with the idea of probability and kinetic movement constantly to ensure that whatever interaction occurred was one that was planned.  

Wen-Ying and London Tsai Upward Falling Fountain with Rotary Roman Sphere

1985 and 2021

I wanted to finally shed light on one of the guests, London Tsai. London Tsai being Wen-ying Tsai’s son illuminated his collaboration on his father’s old works and his inspiration that he took away. I found that London Tsai’s collaboration with his father allowed me to further be impressed by his work with the upside down fountain. I found it to be insane that one could play with technology in such a way where something that conceptually feels impossible becomes an art installation. 
    All in all, the integration of tech and art on Tsai’s work was truly a transformative experience that I wouldn’t have had contact with if it weren’t for the event itself. I enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to see more on what else the class may align with works that leave me impacted the way Tsai’s work did.

Works Cited:

Benthall, Jonathan. “The Cybernetic Sculpture of Tsai Wen-Ying.” Studio International: Visual Arts, Design

and Architecture,https://www.studiointernational.com/the-cybernetic-sculpture-of-tsai-wen-ying. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Contributors. “Wen-Ying Tsai - Wikipedia.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 12 Feb. 2013, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wen-Ying_Tsai.

Kluszyński, Ryszard, and Victoria Vesna. COLOR LIGHT MOTION: Featuring Ryszard Kluszczyński. Zoom, 2024.

Stachowiak, Martyna. “Retrofuturism: A Tomorrow That Never Was.” Displate Magazine, 2 June 2021, displate.com/retrofuturism-tomorrow-that-never-was/#:~:text=The%201960s’%20veneration

%20of%20the,during%20the%20Second%20Industrial%20Revolution.

Tsai, London. “London Tsai : Kinetic.” London Tsai, https://www.londontsai.com/kinetic/view/712368/1/7694368. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Screenshot: