The domestication of kinetic art
The Lumino by Nicolas Schöffer
1 2 The domestication of kinetic art The Lumino by Nicolas Schöffer
Author: Andrea Rovescalli Adviser: Daniel Pinkas Travail théorique de Master Thesis Master HES-SO en Design, orientation Media Design Haute école d’art et de design Genève, 02.2014
3 I’d like to give special thanks to Daniel Pinkas, Daniel Sciboz and all teachers from the Master Media Design and Espaces et Communication programs at the HEAD. Particular thanks goes to Nicolas Schöffer.
4 Table of contents
Preface 7 Introduction 9 Backstage 15 The art historical context 15 Kinetic context 16 Cybernetic context 19 Design context 23 The total device 27 «The device of the self» 27 The global show 36 Kinetic and cybernetic aesthetics 45 Aesthetics of movement 45 Information aesthetics 48 Conclusion 55 References 59 Bibliography 59 Audio/Video 61 Iconography 61
5 The domestication of kinetic art
Lumino. Nicolas Schöffer.
6 Preface
What is the «Lumino» by Nicolas Schöffer? When I saw the Lumino Aires. He had often told me that he owned a singular French device which caught my curiosity. He said to me oddly: «the Lumino is a point in space that contains all other points. Anyone who gazes into it can see everything in the universe from every angle, each standing clear, without any confusion or blending1». Once at his house, he made me sit on the sofa in the living room, he closed the windows, he turned off the lights and he switched on a mysterious televi- sion set placed a few feet in front of us. After a while, yawning, I said to him: «What a disillusion! All those tales about this gadget and..». No way. My pantomime did not work. He was too attached to it to think about selling it.
1. BORGES, Jorge Luis. El Aleph. p.150.
7 The domestication of kinetic art
Apparatus for producing moving and color-changing decorative lighting effects. Nicolas Schöffer. Philips Corp. Patent «US 3242330 A». March 22, 1966.
8 Introduction
The Lumino by Nicolas Schöffer is a lumi- no-kinetic device, produced on an industrial scale by Dutch company Philips in 1968. homes, as a common household appliance. Nicolas Schöffer designs a device for every- 1966, the device presents a source of light formed by an incandescent lamp. The lamp viewer’s psychology and behavior, offering is housed in a structure, coated with black a continually renewed audio-visual show. metal and chromium-plated plastic, where The aesthetics of movement, the synthesis two motorized discs move different colored of colors and light, the information aesthet- ics are supposed to interact with the human To limit the intensity of the light beam, the being reconciling him with the domestic device presents a translucent frosted screen, space and, at the same time, conducting him that can be replaced with other screens gradually towards the utopian cybernetic city having different textures and creating differ- imagined by Nicolas Schöffer. ent visual effects. The resulting structure of Painter, sculptor, urban planner, architect, the device (23.5x26x21.5cm) looks like a designer, essayist and art teacher: analyzing rather small and curious television set. Nicolas Schöffer’s artistic career, art appears - ic art-boxes by Thomas Wilfred («Clavilux of human experience. Although his books Junior machines») in the 1930s, continuing expound his theories and some art histori- with the mass production of light box-games ans,and experts of perception, have enriched designed by Nicolas Schöffer («Minieffet» his analysis, the Lumino itself, remain enig- and «Varetra») in the 1970s and ending matic, especially from the product design nowadays maybe with the commercialization point of view. Adventuring into cybernetic of various luminotherapic products meant for and kinetic art’s principles, but remaining home (light boxes), the Lumino represents a - - tion(cf. page 13), we attempt to clarify if the ticate light and kinetic art. Lumino could be considered as a froufrou The Lumino, a milestone in Nicolas gadget for the living room or a milestone in Schöffer’s artistic activity, is considered the the «domestication» of kinetic art.
9 The domestication of kinetic art
Combined lamp projector and screen for producing variable luminous images. Nicolas Schöffer. Patent «US D218064 S». July 14, 1970.
10 Introduction
«Clavilux Jr.». Thomas Wilfred.
11 12 Introduction
«Art is the creation-invention, on the level of the mech- anisms of thought and imagination, of an original idea having an aesthetic content that can be translated into effects perceptible to human senses. The occurrence and the ordering of these effects are worked out by a program in time or in space, or in both simultaneously, their components and their proportional relations being optimal, novel and aesthetic. These effects are transmitted through visual, auditory or audiovisual signals to those who, accidentally or deliber- ately, become spectator-auditors of these effects. The result is a process of fascination giving rise to a more depending upon the aesthetic value of the creation. - dency, sublimation and spiritual enrichment through the complex mechanism of the human sensibility and intel- lect. Thus, thanks to the creator’s over-reaching faculty, aesthetic products having a strong impact penetrate through the multiple communication networks to social reality. In order to achieve this end, the creator must use a language and techniques which correspond to the true level of development of his time1.»
Nicolas Schöffer
1. SERS, Philippe. Entretiens avec Nicolas Schöffer. p.7.
13 14 Backstage
An interpretative key to understand the longer tied to the interests of the art market. origins of the Lumino could be the analysis of On the other hand, the Venice Biennale has Nicolas Schöffer’s artworks in the context of a become the world’s prime commercial fair singularly memorable year of the 20th centu- for modern and contemporary art. As conse- ry: 1968. Around that time, four fundamen- tal events can help elucidate the production of the Venice Biennale are abolished after of the Lumino in the art historical, kinetic, the 1968 exhibition in order to decry an elit- cybernetic and design context. ist vision of it. They are re-established only in 1986. The art historical context Nicolas Schöffer follows this anti-elitist 1968 sees the crystallization of social protests, and radical tendency: he refuses any individ- student uprisings and popular rebellions ualistic and subjective artistic conventions; on an international scale. Massive protests they seem empty and meaningless to him. against governments and political systems take place in the name of a radical transfor- narrative, no standardized emotion: the mation of society. In the United States social movements protest in favor of civil rights, Venice, protests in 1968. against racism, against the Vietnam War and against mainstream ideologies (countercul- ture). In France, on May 13, student uprisings culminate in the largest general strike: social protests against De Gaulle’s government totally paralyze the country. - als and protests. For instance, the police protects the buildings of the Venice Bien- nale, after activists try to occupy them to protest against some of the modalities of the Biennale. According to the demonstrators, art should be accessible to everyone and no
15 The domestication of kinetic art
artwork simply opens up a space where the viewer engages with and gives meaning to it. In fact, the indifference of the masses and a kind of general and diffuse hostility towards art are the symptoms of the need of a change and a renewal. Starting from Dada «anti- art» movement in the 1910s, the image of art and the artist, that has been building up for a long time, is radically questioned: the «bohemian» artist, who transmitted personal emotions and a personalized point of view of the world, if not quite dead, is moribund. Art, according to Nicolas Schöffer, should explicitly be at the service of human 1 beings . Its experiments, obtained through «Prisme». Nicolas Schöffer. Venice. 1968. the collaboration of science and art, should be available to everybody. Nicolas Schöffer, unsurprisingly, is inspired by the Bauhaus. ation, he is the winner of the «Grand prize This movement attempts to reconcile art for sculpture» of the Venice Biennale in 1968 and life through a functionalist and rational with «Prisme», an artwork created for the French Pavilion. materials. For Nicolas Schöffer, «social» art should permeate everyone’s daily life2. The Kinetic context very same orientation can be found in the In 1968 the historian of art and technology Constructivist movement, that originated in Frank Popper, in his book Origins and Devel- Russia in 1913 and that refuses the cult of opment of Kinetic Art, recognizes kinetic art «art for art’s sake» in favor of art as a practice as a new category in art. Quoting Nicolas directed towards social purposes. However, Schöffer’s artworks in particular, he stresses Nicolas Schöffer notes that the commer- the important opportunities offered by new cial system mediocritizes people by means technologies in artistic practice. Popper of design and arts, without improving the notices especially a singular tendency in social conditions. Artists should perturb the visual arts clustering the kinetic devices that consumeristic society3. add light to movement under the name of Nicolas Schöffer is one of the noticeable «lumino-kinetic art»4. spokesmen of a break with the art of the past In the ‘60s, with the economic boom, and, not surprisingly, given the political situ- technology, bearer of wealth and progress,
1. SCHÖFFER, Nicolas. Le nouvel esprit artis- 3. SERS, Philippe. Entretiens avec Nicolas tique. p.105. Schöffer. p.116. 2. Ibid. p.186. 4. POPPER, Frank. The Place of High-Tech- nology Art in the Contemporary Art Scene.
16 Backstage
invades the daily life: television sets and ic-inspired approach applied to his different home appliances massively enter into the artistic practices, slowly revives. home network distribution. As the new tech- At the same time, taking advantage of nologies expand, artists start using them: the economic boom and the support of a the link between art and technology is a hot big company, Nicolas Schöffer introduces topic. This change seems to contradict C. P. a new kind of product in the mass distribu- Snow’s theory, exposed in his Rede lecture tion circuit. The Lumino could be confused with a simple «abstract» television set, but (1959), that «humanistic culture» and «scien- perception that kinetic artists have already inspired mainly by «literary culture» while the tried to experiment in expositions and muse- - ums. ogies at the service of humanity and brought Before the 1968, other lumino-kinetic about a fundamental increase of knowledge, is foreign to it. Kinetic art is a representa- nervous system. For instance, one of the tive attempt to bridge the gap as the artist precursors of the Lumino is the «Lumidyne System», a device built by Frank Malina in knowledge5. 1955. Frank Malina is a kinetic artist, who in Thanks to the collaboration with Philips 1967 founds Leonardo, an academic journal and to the teamwork it implies, Nicolas about applications of science and new tech- nology to the arts. The «Lumidyne System» technical knowledge that he needs. In this has many similarities and some formal differ- way, he can create pieces of art in move- ences with the Lumino: in both devices, the ment6 and he can set up experiments that show has the same visual aesthetics; unlike the Lumino, the form of the «Lumidyne on human perception. With Nicolas Schöffer, System» doesn’t remind of television set, but the metaphor of the scientist-artist, that uses it is a simple light-tight case with a translu- a systematic, methodological and scientif- cent screen; the inside part of the «Lumidyne
5. In 1966, the curator of modern art Maurice 6. The movement in artworks can be implic- Tuchman starts the program «Art and Technol- it or explicit. It is implicit because it can be ogy» (A & T) to connect forty industrial compa- interpreted as an illusory phenomenon: visual nies in California with engineers and artists perception shows the difference between what from all over the world. Four years later, the the eye sees and what the viewer thinks he results of this collaboration are shown success- sees. In many cases movement does not really fully at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art exist, its appearance is generated by the and the Osaka World Exposition. visual effects deceiving the eye. This illusion In 1967, the organization «Experiments in Art of kinetic art, especially used in Optical Art and Technology (E.A.T.)» starts to develop (Op Art), has its origins in the 1800s, in the collaborations between artist and engineers. painting of the impressionist artists who expe- The goal is to support artists’ accessing to rience the movement in their paintings. new technologies, as mediums and materials, The movement can be explicit in the sense of and, at the same time, to experiment artistic a real movement through the use of mechan- practices on society. ical actuators or natural elements such as the wind.
17 The domestication of kinetic art
«Lumidyne System». Frank J. Malina.
18 Backstage
System» has a more complex mechanical system given that it is composed of multi- ple rotors and mirrors; both devices hide an implicit function to change the viewer’s state of mind. In 1955, Frank Malina states that he has studied Dr. G. H. Groharn’s experi- ments on human visual perception7. In 1962, Feedback system. Diagram. he discovers that a variant of his «Lumidyne System» is used by Professor A. Michotte at the Louvain University in Belgium for experi- brain are developed by Philips. mental psychological studies on the percep- Cybernetics, according to the mathemati- tion of motion and human emotional behav- cian Norbert Wiener, is the science that stud- ior8. ies the phenomena of self-regulation and communication both in natural systems and Cybernetic context - In his book Le Nouvel Esprit Artistique ences, historically remembered as the «Macy (1970), Nicolas Schöffer states that artists conferences», from 1946 until 1953, philos- should renew their techniques, by appropri- - ating electricity, electronics and computer science, cognitive science come from cyber- science, tools to create art9. The aim is not netics. The Macy conferences, have been a only to renew art but also to imagine new meeting point of some of the most import- ways of getting in touch with the audience. ant personalities of the «humanistic culture» Adding cybernetics to art, Nicolas Schöffer claims to create a solution to avoid redun- mathematicians, engineers, psychoanalysts, dant and repetitive artistic creations. biologists, anthropologists and economists. In 1968 an exhibition,later seen as the The basis of cybernetics is the concept of pinnacle of cybernetic art, takes place in the feedback loop. Abstracting and model- London: the title is «Cybernetics Serendipi- ing the characteristics of input and output, ty». In that occasion Nicolas Schöffer pres- a system can be regulated through the gap ents a mobile sculpture called «CYSP I» between the effective action (output) and the planned result (action)10. For instance, sculpture in art history: light sensors and a during the World War II, Wiener uses cyber- netic principles to create a system («Wiener color, light intensity and sound intensity that Filter») for anti-aircraft guns: this weapon The mechanic system and the electronic of the pilots.
7. MALINA, J. Frank. Kinetic painting : the 9. SCHÖFFER, Nicolas. Le nouvel esprit artis- Lumidyne System. tique. p.32. 8. MALINA, J. Frank. Electric Light As A Me- 10. DUPUY, Jean-Pierre. Aux origines des dium In The Visual Fine Arts: A Memoir. sciences cognitives. p.161.
19 The domestication of kinetic art
«CYSP I». Nicolas Schöffer. 1956.
20 Backstage
Cybernetic Serendipity. Cover catalog.
Cybernetic seance. Photo from 3rd May Conference 1947.
Around the table (left to right):
Rafael Lorente de Nó, Margaret Mead, Kurt Lewin, Warren S. McCulloch, Paul Lazarsfeld, Ar- turo Rosenblueth, Gregory Bateson, Ralph W. Gerard, John von Neumann, Heinz von Foerster, Lawrence K. Frank, Norbert Wiener, Heinrich Klüver, Molly Harrower.
21 The domestication of kinetic art
«Spatiodynamisme». Film (1958). Director Tinto Brass. Screenshots.
Using cybernetic methodology, Nicolas Schöffer believes that the renewed artistic and health. The light stimulates and devel- materials are: «Space», «Time» and «Light». ops human emotions11. In the cybernetic All three share a feature that artists should conception, which Nicolas Schöffer accepts, be able to grab: the «Dynamism». Starting there is a clear reference to «circular causal- from 1957 with «Lux» artworks, the asso- ity» between personality and culture: the ciation between cybernetics and the three «materials» become the focus of Nicolas the socio-cultural environment in which Schöffer’s research: «SpatioDynamisme», they live and the environment, at the same «ChronoDynamisme» and «LuminoDyna- who live in it12. Nicolas Schöffer’s cybernetic the material «space» and gives values to the devices, such as the Lumino, are supposed potential energies present in it. In «Chro- to change the psychology of individuals by noDynamisme», he works on the material - «time» and explores the changes on human netic systems try to establish a communica- consciousness using audio-visual arts. During tion within the viewer’s psyche and between his studies on «LuminoDynamisme», Nicolas his psyche and the surrounding environment. In particular, creating the Lumino, Nicolas element on the human visual perception. - Human nature is profoundly phototropic: tance of home space on human perception light, as a natural phenomenon, has always in this cybernetic process. Changing human beings, society could change as well. to some rays provides a sense of well-be-
11. MÜNCH, LINHART, BORISUT, JAEGGI, 12. SCHÖFFER, Nicolas. Le nouvel esprit SCARTEZZINI. Effects of prior light exposure artistique. p.89. on cognitive performance, subjective sleepi- ness, and hormonal secretion in the evening.
22 Backstage
Lumino. Nicolas Schöffer. «Dream Machine». B. Gysin, I. Sommerville.
Design context of implementing a large-scale production of In 1968 Nicolas Schöffer’s Lumino is some of the devices exhibited in galleries produced on a large-scale: Philips sells and museums. But it is not the same thing - to make a device for an exhibition and to mass-produce it as an everyday life object. hundred, under the name «Dream Box», in Some kinetic artists are equally happy to the United States. Thus, Philips provides the collaborate with design companies who can possibility to «socialize» Nicolas Schöffer’s translate and adapt the characteristic kinet- art and to continue his mission, but ironically, at the same time, this collaboration inaugu- space, light and movement, to the domes- tic constraints. As a matter of fact, many that exists nowadays. For the Dutch compa- kinetic works remind, in their functionalities ny this collaboration represents a change or aesthetics, objects or appliances already in market ideology, shifting from a rational present at home. In many respects, aesthet- conception of lighting to a more emotional ics of kinetic art is inherently industrial. Some one. Quite obviously it is an opportunity to devices, described in the next paragraphs promote the company’s public image and and chapters, are easily comparable to to create a laboratory to test bold consumer lamps («Dream Machine» by B. Gysin and I. technologies. Sommerville), to television set (Lumino), to From the ‘60s, industrial design takes a paintings («Chromie No. 1» and «Chromie keen interest in the experiments of kinetic No. 2» by F. Malina), to kids games («Timor» artists and starts considering the possibility by E. Mari), etc.. The ‘60s are full of exam-
23 The domestication of kinetic art
ples, more or less successful, of partnerships an incandescent lamp, placed on the side of between kinetic artists and industrial compa- the case, projects a beam of light into a rotat- nies: ing color wheel and mirror’s system elaborat- • ing abstract shapes on the screen. «Chromie introducing the project «Dream Machine» by No. 2» has the same structure and the same Brion Gysin and Ian Sommerville in the mass mechanism to project images on the screen, distribution circuit13. It is a kinetic light sculp- but it also generates sound whose intensity ture device which comprises a perforated controls the diffusion of images. The main cylinder placed on a record turntable and a problem of these devices is the high cost of light bulb housed in its center. Light, pass- the materials for a large-scale production. ing through the cylinder’s holes at a frequen- Instead of the original project, the new pres- cy between eight and thirteen pulses per ident of the company proposes a low-priced second (which corresponds to «alpha waves» record player for children and Frank Malina (cf. page 30), can alter electrical activity in leaves the project16. the brain. The viewer, looking in the direc- • In 1962, the company Olivetti spon- tion of the device with closed eyes, may sors the exhibition «Arte programmata: Arte have chromatic dreamlike visualizations and/ Cinetica, opere moltiplicate, opera aperta»17. - At this time, the company is at the apex of ing, Philips drops the idea. In 1965, Brion the electronic design innovation and happily Gysin also proposes his project to Colombia combines aesthetics, production and market. Records, without success. Some sources14 During the exhibition, Olivetti collaborates claim that the main reason why the project is rejected is fear of lawsuits due to schizo- future devices to produce on an industrial phrenic episodes that could be triggered by scale. Some of these artists, such as Bruno the device. Munari and Enzo Mari, work to create furni- • Frank Malina, renowned for his «electric ture with another Italian company, Danese. paintings»15, designs an audio-kinetic device in 1962 - 1964 for General Electric Co. A products are designed with «kinetic» forms, market survey conducted by General Electric in other words structures which give the idea in the US, show that a large market is avail- of movement. For instance, in 1964 Bruno able for the mass production of an audio-ki- Munari realizes the folding lamp «Falkland» netic device. Frank Malina makes two proto- which reminds one of an accordion pleat. types for this project: «Chromie No.1» and Another example, realized by Enzo Mari in «Chromie No. 2». Both devices are light-tight 1966, is the perpetual calendar «Timor» case with a translucent screen at the front. which has the gradual opening movement of «Chromie No.1» is a kinetic object in which a fan.
13. GEIGER, John. Chapel Of Extreme Expe- 16. MALINA, J. Frank. Electric Light As A rience. p.66. Medium In The Visual Fine Arts: A Memoir. 14. ALLEN, Mark. Décor by Timothy Leary. p.109-119. The New York Times. 17. Dynamo, Un siècle de lumière et de 15. POPPER, Frank. «Tableaux Lumineux» from mouvement 1913-2013. p.45. L’art cinétique.
24 Backstage
B. Gysin, the «Dream Machine» and William S. Burroughs. London. 1972.
«Falkland». Bruno Munari. Danese. 1964. «Timor». Enzo Mari. Danese. 1966.
25 26 The total device
«Turn on, tune in, drop out» Timothy Leary. 1967.
In the unpublished text Le Destin de l’hom- of human beings and, at the same time, to me, c’est d’être continuellement prisonnier connect them to the global cybernetic show. Nicolas Schöffer states that human being is chained in a double prison: internal and external. The walls of this prison block human «The device of the self» beings in a state of mind that does not allow The Nicolas Schöffer’s Lumino hints at what him to get in touch neither with himself nor has been called the «second-order cybernet- with the community that surrounds him. ics»: conceptually it is the transition between A domestic device, such as the Lumino, is supposed to generate a daily process in the new cybernetics by scientist Heinz von the human unconscious that, he hopes, may Foerster. Heinz Von Foerster is one of the young- mind and surrounding space. It sounds est participants in the Macy conferences and «magic», but Nicolas Schöffer is well aware in 1970, with the publication of the book - Molecular Ethology, he revisits some of tion1. A kind of protocol is suggested to be the principles of cybernetics: this split goes respected to interact with the Lumino: turn down in history as the «new cybernetics» off other light sources, sit nor too close nor to or «second-order cybernetics». The novelty far in front of the device, stare at the device, is the introduction of the idea of «not-trivial focus attention on it. As during a shamanic machines» capable, from a modest number rite, the Lumino - of internal states and input, to generate, ence human state of mind and bring human through combinations, high behavioral beings into a state of altered consciousness. In the ‘60s Nicolas Schöffer begins to accused of «behaviorism» because the theo- rized machines are «trivial machines» that two functions: to get in contact with mind
1. ARNAULD, Pierre. L’œil multiplié: l’exten- sion cybernétique de la maîtrise perceptive. L’ŒIL MOTEUR. p.8.
27 The domestication of kinetic art
Circuit of Model Nerve. W. Grey Walter.
In contrast, the «non-trivial» machine is a Using the Electroencephalography (EEG), - a biosensored machine invented by the nal state capable of change as a function of neurologist Hans Berger in 1924, Grey Walter inputs and past internal states. discovers that the human nervous system can be affected by light stimuli causing stimu- artist to introduce sensors into an artwork lated brain activity and changing brainwav- (light sensors and microphones in «CYSP I») es. In his most famous book The Living Brain and to create a «non-trivial» artistic machine, oddly designs the Lumino as a «trivial» metaphor of the human brain as a central machine. Nicolas Schöffer realizes a home motor connected to sensors2. In other words, device to get in touch with the mind of the the nervous system is a big computer linked user, but, surprisingly, the show performed to sub-unities through electricity. So, by cannot adapt itself to the state of mind of modifying the patterns of electricity passing the viewer. through the nerves, it seems highly plausible There are two possible explanations to this choice. perceptions. Until today the discovered brainwaves are: to design a system perceivable to the user, • Epsilon waves (0-0.05 Hz): they have the Lumino would need to be equipped with not yet been heavily studied; biosensors. In the ‘60s, in cybernetics, the • Delta waves (0.05-4 Hz): they character- robotician and neurophysiologist William ize the deepest stages of sleep or they are Grey Walter’s experiments are well-known. found when human beings do some continu-
2. GREY WALTER, William. The living brain. p.25, p.27.
28 The total device
W. Grey Walter and Electroencephalography.
The Toposcope Laboratory. W. Grey Walter.
29 The domestication of kinetic art
Alpha waves record. W. Grey Walter.
ous-attention tasks; • Beta waves (13/14-30 Hz): they corre- • Theta waves (4-7 Hz): they are produced spond to normal conscious brain activity, in the hippocampus and other brain struc- ranging from calm and relaxed conscious- tures between dreams or when human ness, to active thinking, focus, hi alert, beings repress a response or action; anxious and panic; • Alpha waves (7.5-12/13 Hz): they are • Gamma waves (30-100+ Hz): they are produced in the anterior lobe of the brain produced in somatosensory cortex when when the eyes are looking for a visual pattern human beings recognize objects, sounds, or tactile sensations during short-term memory. it in a clear way. For instance, most human The pioneers of the lumino-kinetic devic- beings generate alpha waves when, closing es test empirically on the «patients-viewers» their eyes, the nervous system continues to search for a visual pattern to identify or when ‘60s. The behavioral abstraction of animals they observe a sequence of images that are and how they elaborate the «information» have induced the cyberneticians to elabo- Alpha waves can be seen in persons watch- rate analogies with the functionality of the ing movies or television narratives in which machines: the «human system» is composed they are fully engrossed, mostly unaware of their surroundings; and controlled by external «stimuli». Prob- • Mu waves (7.5-12/13 Hz): they occur ably, using W. Grey Walter’s theories3, the at the same alpha waves’ frequencies, but audio-visual show on the screen of the they are detected over a different part of the Lumino is supposed to generate Alpha waves brain, the motor cortex, when human beings in viewer’s brain. The warm and relaxing pace intend to move; -
3. ARNAULD, Pierre. L’œil multiplié : l’exten- sion cybernétique de la maîtrise perceptive. L’ŒIL MOTEUR. p.8.
30 The total device
The Living Brain. W. Grey Walter. Cover book. Ashby’s «Homeostat». Design for a Brain.
cially modeling the material «light» and the itself to its environment. In a stable global ticking of the mechanical gears. In the ‘60s, system the Homeostat and its environment biosensors are heavy, bulky, expensive and evolve, but, if during this evolution one of - the essential variables changes, the Homeo- ratus to use at home. Unfortunately for Nico- stat randomly changes its connections with las Schöffer, the Lumino cannot detect the the environment, becoming a new determin- istic automaton. Hence the «human system» the audio-visual stimulus. is represented as a complex set of elements The second reason could be that Nicolas and interactions that develops spontaneous - properties of stability. ries that are accepted in the second cyber- It is important to view the Lumino design netics movement. The psychiatrist William from this perspective: an exploration of the Ross Ashby in the book Design for a brain relationship between the human brain and (1952), stresses the importance of random- technology. In fact, the Lumino is a technol- ness in the learning process. Starting from ogy that holds a variety of random audio-vi- the computer «Automatic Computing - Engine» (ACE)4 created by the mathemati- ence human «internal states»: the machine cian, logician and computer scientist Alan becomes a «device of the self», a conscious Turing, Ashby creates in 1948 the «Homeo- gateway to the human unconscious. The stat». This project aims to demonstrate, mechanical conditioning could allow the using an evolutionary approach, how an human system to reach a stability, a kind of perfect calm. This state of mind could
4. The ACE contains a fix stored-program in the computer hardware with a memory of 25 KiB, accessed at a speed of 1 MHz, and it could simulate the «Homeostat» machine, the first design idea for a human brain.
31 The domestication of kinetic art
change continuously depending on internal the process was well-functioning, but static, the user could adapt to it and it wouldn’t work no more. The Lumino illustrates the device alters the essential variables of the system itself. Hence the system tends toward a new, a priori not known, stability. The basic assumption is that the chance can be utilized for relaxing purposes. The «Brain manipulation». Hypnotism in old time Lumino is a programmed creation that radio. launches a process along the time axis: the mechanical reproduction of a process of bance» comes into play. Nicolas Schöffer dynamic stability could be forced5. Nicolas designs this sensory experience as an action Schöffer designs some suggestive shows in that goes deeper along the time axis: the order to affect the nervous system in two audio-video stimulus is supposed to be programmed, ensuring human homeostasis. and the second called «neural disturbance». The techniques of moving light and repeti- The «retinal disturbance» supposes tech- niques of empathy to get in touch with audi- nervous system and are able to adjust its ence. The artist Marcel Duchamp was one of behavior8. The continual metamorphosis of - forms and colors causes kinesthetic effects, ly calling it «frisson rétinien»6. The light rays, while the movement causes the enchant- hitting the eye, produce a «sensation» and ment. These techniques act on an import- then the retinal nerves transfer to the brain ant psychological process of the human which transforms it into a «feeling». In the brain: suggestibility. Suggestion is a form Lumino of communication, verbal or non-verbal, through which an individual is led to convic- boredom and monotony of the visual show. tions, thoughts, feelings, remembrances or The techniques of perception become the behavior by another person. In everyday life medium to start an immediate «action» on the human being is receptive to these tech- the viewer: in addition of intensity/frequen- niques based on his degree of suggestibility, cy of light and sound, even the movement is in fact some people are more suggestible 7. than others. The most well-known tech- In the second phase the «neural distur- niques of manipulation may be those that
5. SERS, Philippe. Entretiens avec Nicolas 7. SCHÖFFER, Nicolas. Le nouvel esprit artis- Schöffer. p.12. tique. p.131, p.164. 6. CABANNE, Pierre. Entretiens avec Marcel 8. Ibid. p.89. Duchamp. p.74.
32 The total device
«Luminoscope». Nicolas Schöffer.
Lumino prototype. Philips.
33 The domestication of kinetic art
use dialectics9, but non-verbal and strictly At the same time the repetitive ticking of audible and visual means are also used in the mechanic gears of the Lumino, like the advertisements, shows, video games, etc.. metronome’s tick, can help to lull the mind The Lumino is supposed to immerse the of the listener into a state of deep relaxation: viewer into an «aesthetic contemplation», it is the kind of sound that could be used a «state of contemplation», in other words in place of traditional meditation mantra hypnosis. The common uses of the Lumino music12. W. Grey Walter always emphasizes have many similarities with the characteris- the importance of sound patterns: «Music tics introduced in theater at the end of the is proverbially connected with emotions nineteenth century by Richard Wagner (elec- and provides a thousand examples, among the daily patterns of our lives, that familiar in the penumbra, chromaticism and melodic things are comforting things». Light music process in musical language) and document- - ed by Paul Souriau in the book La sugges- ing. The Lumino is an artefact that mechani- tion dans l’art (1909), but that are also part of cally imitates the gestures that have entered protocols of fascination used by hypnotists. into the vocabulary of hypnosis and manip- ulation starting from Franz Anton Mesmer. sensory isolation, fusion of music and visual, Hypnosis, often used for anesthesia therapy, etc.. are added to the new immersive tech- puts the viewer in a state of half-sleep relax- niques introduced in living rooms by televi- ing the body, but, at the same time, caus- ing mental tiredness: the brain continues to change of intensity between lights and darks look for patterns hence, producing alpha and the rate of switching from one sequence waves. Through the lethargic state induced, the mechanical device immerses the human can happen daily, for instance, looking out being into a dream-like dimension, but it also the window of a moving train or riding the bike and looking at the light that passes system without diverting the basic proper- through trees10. As the succession of «0» ties of brain function. As during a meditative and «1» in binary language to program seance of Ericksonian hypnosis13, the user is machines, the alternation of intensity in light consciously accompanied in an altered state could be considered a cybernetic universal of consciousness and hence, participating in medium to communicate to all humanity11. the experience, opens up to the suggested
9. BEAUVOIS Jean-Léon, JOULE Robert-Vin- 11. Like traffic lights in the futuristic city of cent. Petit traité de manipulation à l’usage the movie «Alphaville» (1965) by Jean-Luc des honnêtes gens. Godard or the use of light in the experimental 10. The alternation of chromatic light is one movie «the Flicker» (1965) by Tony Conrad. of the primordial natural phenomena that is 12. GEIGER, John. Chapel Of Extreme Expe- recognized by human being, as stated by W. rience. p.26. Grey Walter, «Regular or irregular, the alter- 13. In the ’60s the psychiatrist Milton H. Erick- nation of day and night was probably the first son introduces a new format in hypnotherapy time that impressed pattern in the human characterized by indirect suggestion, meta- brain[…]». phors and confusion techniques.
34 The total device
Lark mirrors: old devices to induce hypnosis.
Jean-Martin Charcot inducing hypnosis by a magic lantern.
35 The domestication of kinetic art
audio-visual stimuli. The subject assumes the graphic growth and economic optimism, society is re-considering its own future and the mind machine is the hypnotist, as in a which models to follow to rebuild a new city role-playing game. on a human scale. Architecture and design The hint to the second cybernetics are visionary and focused on the ideology of could be interpreted in this context: Nicolas well-being: everything seems possible and Schöffer is beginning to consider the human progress is synonymous of happiness. The ultra-technological city and megalopolis, a «device of the self» using random audio-vi- sual programs, can achieve the perfect be the inspiration models for this new urban progress. domestic environment. Nicolas Schöffer, like In 1969, Nicolas Schöffer publishes a a magician of suggestion, orchestrates the book which is in line with this trend: La Ville show designing a device to explore the rela- Cybernétique. In this work, he theorizes the tionship between artistic creation, domestic fundamentals of new urban habitat. The city sphere and human psyche. The Lumino is symbolizes both the renewal of humanity conceived to disrupt the human unconscious through new technologies and the contra- creating a «new human being». dictions of an urban system no longer adapt- ed to the needs of its inhabitants. The city The global show becomes a laboratory for avant-garde artis- tic experiments in different scales: Nicolas «I like to think (and Schöffer’s artworks produce a visual show the sooner the better!) that, in different ways, spreads into small, of a cybernetic meadow medium and large spaces. Art should perme- where mammals and computers live together in mutually ate every area of human life and should programming harmony become «global». This intent of socialization like pure water of art allows Nicolas Schöffer to elaborate an touching clear sky. [..]» experimental approach to theories on human All Watched Over by Machines of Loving therapeutic, social, philosophical and ethical Grace. Richard Brautigan. dimension value. The declared principle is to put the human In 1967, the poet Richard Brautigan writes All being at the center of the urban project and Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace, to divide the city according to the involved a tribute to cybernetics as an utopia. If cyber- human activities14. In this way, three types netics is an utopia, Nicolas Schöffer, pioneer of cities arise: «working city», «leisure city» of cybernetic art, is one of its emblems. and «rest city». Using sensors to feed the At the end of World War II, thanks to demo- feedback system, cybernetics provides the
14. Similar to the idea of one of the friends of Nicolas Schöffer, Le Corbusier. PINKER, Steven. The Blank Slate. p.170.
36 The total device
«Maison aux cloisons invisibles» in the cybernetic «rest city». Nicolas Schöffer. 1956.
rhythm that governs the space and the time interactive play «KYLDEX 1», it becomes an of the city according to human needs15. At experimental television mass entertainment the same time, architecture becomes frontier- with the «Variations Luminodynamiques 1», it less: the home imaginatively expands to the spreads its audiovisual message by the «Tour whole urban scale. Nicolas Schöffer’s devices Cybernétique», it collaborates with Maurice and installations have this mission: they want Béjart for a choreographic dance with the to create a connection between the human robot «CYSP I», it gives a visual aesthetics being and his environment, through a global to music thanks to «Musiscope» made by show network. Philips, it generates a collective trance in the The global show starts from homes thanks discotheque «Voom-Voom» in Saint-Tropez to the Lumino, it moves on the car «SCAM1» made with the automobile company Renault, installation «Spatiodynamique» at the Grand it obtains a playful dimension by the commer- Central Station in New York. According to Nicolas Schöffer, cities «Minieffet» (commercialized by Editions tend towards decay, they suffer from a sort Denise René), it enters into theaters with the of «audio-visual pollution», which should be
15. SCHÖFFER, Nicolas. Le Spatiodynamisme. Conference at the Sorbonne. June 19, 1954.
37 The domestication of kinetic art
«Scam1». Nicolas Schöffer. Renault. 1973.
«Varetra». Nicolas Schöffer. 1975.
38 The total device
«Mur Lumière» and «Tour Cybernétique». Nicolas Schöffer. Liège.
«Variations Luminodynamiques 1». Nicolas Schöffer. 1961. Screenshot.
39 The domestication of kinetic art
fought against in everyday life. The urban it gives preeminent importance to the role habitat is designed without any aesthet- of the viewer18. The buyer of this device is ic plan, any coordination on architectural aware of the provoked effects on the states modules and any kind of study on propor- of mind (hypnotic effects or «waking dream») tions. Sensory shocks, which the human and they can decide when and how to use being receives daily, have serious effects on it. The awareness is a fundamental step to the nervous system16 ideology, Nicolas Schöffer wants to merge viewer. the visual arts in a global plastic form, capa- With the oil crisis in 1973, the great economic growth, that supported all of these the cybernetic city: the global show should projects and provided for its large-scale create a collective choreography combining diffusion, ends. Many cybernetic projects the movements of each person17. will never leave the galleries, the museums, However, the global show is susceptible the ateliers and thereafter will be labeled as to become a totalitarian show. It is the para- «utopian». They will remain testimonies of dox of wanting to establish a perfect society what the cybernetic city and its global show and consequently to actively achieve the would have been (ironically, looking at the cities of today and how they have devel- In 1961, Nicolas Schöffer pays personally the oped, we could notice that the difference price for it and receives many harsh criticisms between an utopia and an achievable proj- by press and audience, after the completion ect, that looked like an utopia, is very thin19). of the «Tour Cybernétique» in Liège and the At the same time, Nicolas Schöffer’s art broadcasting of the television show «Varia- could be considered «utopian» because it tions Luminodynamiques 1» (10 minutes): has the intention to change society and to the attempt to address an explicit audio- create a «new human being». The utopian visual program at a mass audience sets off believes that the world of his time is essen- reactions of rebellion and rejection. In Liège tially wrong and that it is therefore necessary some wants to destroy the tower and in to operate a complete change, according to France the television audience writes incen- the rules and principles that he lays down. diary letters to newspapers to protest against - cf. p. 41). ics inspired ones, claim to know the system The Lumino represents a turning point (as a society, as a whole); they presuppose an in the concept of the global show because understanding of what is good and what is
16. SCHÖFFER, Nicolas. Le Spatiodynamisme. 18. OBERBECK, K. Stephen. Art and Technol- Conference at the Sorbonne. June 19, 1954. ogy: «Cybernetic Serendipity». 17. «This great collective and daily ballet of 19. An interesting example is the Copenha- the city», SCHÖFFER, Nicolas. La ville cyber- gen wheel design project by the architect and nétique. p.36. engineer Carlo Ratti. Some special bikes are equipped by sensors to map pollution levels, traffic congestion, and road conditions in real- time. Using this cybernetic system, collected data from a single biker could improve the quality life of all citizens
40 The total device
Letters protesting against the «soporific» «Variations Luminodynamiques 1» show. 1961.
41 The domestication of kinetic art
Nicolas Schöffer’s atelier. Villa des Arts.
and in their connections. According to this the human being of the future should be system design, the global show should have like. The developments in science and tech- the same multilayered complexity. The nology will adapt the material world to the approach is both «top-down» and «distrib- human model. The artist is at the center of uted», since the characteristics of the global this utopia, because he would be in a priv- show are found in single artworks by Nicolas ileged position to structure this cohesion of Schöffer, which already contain the proper- psyche and emotional world. ties and intentions of the whole system. The Starting from a global visual design of the complexity of the «system show» is divid- whole city and following down to the domes- ed into single artworks, acting separately tic space, Nicolas Schöffer creates monumen- or communicating with each other through tal objects, such as the «Tour Cybernétique», sensors. It creates an aesthetic network to small apparatus, such as the Lumino. The which can create a new cultural dimension, global show is attributable to the rules set working separately in different areas of daily in 1946 by the neurophysiologist and cyber- life, such as in work, rest and leisure time. netician Warren Sturgis McCulloch during By «culture» Nicolas Schöffer actually means the conference Macy «Finality and Form a new form of civilization where the human in Nervous Activity»: the properties of the being is fully immersed in a bath of lights, system are present in its constituent elements colors and sounds20.
42 The total device
The Lumino is a part of this smart network to mediocre products, that they do not really and plays a perhaps modest and yet crucial need and that have no cultural value, there role in the show of the «rest city». This won’t be any improvement of social condi- lumino-kinetic device has two functions: tions. Products could just feed the cycle of it displays a show on its screen and, at the consumption and the capitalist economy. same time, it projects lights and colors into To change this process and the intellectu- the home space. Nicolas Schöffer believes al control, that is present at the base of the that, modeling the aesthetics of human habi- economic system, someone has to make tat, some positive psychic, energetic, physi- available on an industrial scale an appara- tus that can replace or complement televi- human being could be generated. In the sion set. The Lumino is a small element that hearth and home it aims to create a kind of is supposed to be involved with the mission - and the intelligence of a global system. In an nity and enlivens a whole city. What makes utopian way, it intends to make a revolution: this possible is that it has a privileged access to change the world, changing the human to the human habitat like another emblemat- perception of it. ic device: television set. This kind of device is so fascinating because in the «rest city» it manipulated. Satisfying the aesthetic needs of the masses means to provide a device capable of broadcasting an audiovisual - tic space: the Lumino does that and at the same time, it imaginatively frees the human being from the home walls that imprison him. Television, although it occasionally presents some audiovisual shows realized by artists, is a medium whose mission is not exclu- sively artistic. In order to make a real cultur- al revolution, the consumer system should be reversed since, according to Nicolas Schöffer, as we have seen, it tends to make mediocritize the consumer. Especially in the domain of design, there is less an innovation in products than a sterile repetition whose sole purpose is to increase the productivity of companies. If the masses have only access
20. HAHN, Otto. Le pavillon français à la bien- nale de Venise.
43 44 Kinetic and cybernetic aesthetics
Aesthetics of movement day uses. He takes into consideration the Nicolas Schöffer is a pioneer and, like all form of the object and at the same time the innovators, he takes up utopian and complex visual result in a domestic context2. Kinetic challenges. One of the most interesting of - these challenges concerns the process of ic experience. This experience is actually a «domestication of kinetic art», namely the powerful sensory experience. Mostly it reac- application of the basic tenets of this art tivates a Kantian conception of aesthetics, movement, in relation to a domestic and according to which aesthetic qualities such daily context from the point of view of func- as beauty or sublime are at least in part sense tionality and aesthetics. perceptions; but they are also cognitive, as Aesthetics, in a sense quite close to its they convey a particular type of knowledge etymology1, plays a key role in the design about reality. The knowledge is based on of these devices, in particular because it sensory experience as it impacts sensibility. sets questions about the domestication of The kinetic artist takes up the responsibili- «movement». Various approaches to the ty to provide this experience to the spectator. domestication of kinetic art were attempt- The Lumino gives a daily recurrent aesthetic ed: in the ‘60s Bruno Munari and Enzo Mari experience at home, involving two senses, produce household items having only the form of movement but not movement them- that make up the structure of the Lumino are selves; another approach is Brion Gysin’s the key to interpreting aesthetics of move- and Ian Sommerville’s who want to offer to ment that is involved. Moving mirrors, lenses consumers their «Dream Machine» directly - (issued) from art galleries without caring to phosis, distorts reality and could symbolize adapt it to the domestic and daily context. the uncertainty surrounding the interpre- (cf. page 23) tation of the world. The mathematical and economical concept of «Indeterminism», - which Nicolas Schöffer picked up in John von
1. Aisthetikos = «esthetic, sensitive, sentient». 2. SERS, Philippe. Entretiens avec Nicolas Schöffer. p.149.
45 The domestication of kinetic art
Nicolas Schöffer’s portrait. Nicolas Schöffer’s portrait.
Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern’s Theory seems to disappear. At the same time, the of Games and Economic Behavior, is thus show on the screen spreads colorful visual layers on the surrounding space, having the form of abstraction of reality is performed at result to cancel the interior design of the the probabilistic level as «certainty» disap- home. In this way, even emptiness is set in pears. motion. The anamorphosis also allows to trick the The object becomes «informal», engaged visual system as the perception of movement in a sort of continuous metamorphosis, deforms the perceived outline of the kinetic a perpetual temporal and visual artistic object itself, which acquires an illusory elas- creation or recreation. From the industri- ticity. The object’s form becomes ambiguous al and commercial point of view, according and variable depending on the angle from to Nicolas Schöffer, it allows an «désatura- which it is viewed. If the viewer moves, his tion»4 of the market because the product movement is added to the movement that affects the artwork3. This encourages an unpredictable movement, the artwork is exploration of the limits of vision, through a formally «open»5 to a variety of interpreta- kind of transparency effect: the object itself tions about its function and its aesthetics.
3. In many «op Art» artworks, the object is 4. SCHÖFFER, Nicolas. «L’avenir de l’hom- static, but the viewer’s movement is prescribed. me, l’homme de l’avenir» from La Ville Cyber- nétique. 5. In 1962 the writer Umberto Eco, thanks to Bruno Munari’s invitation, writes a text presenting the exhibition «Arte programma- ta: Arte Cinetica, opere moltiplicate, opera aperta» that becomes a manifesto of kinetic art: the concept of the «open work» is born.
46 Kinetic and cybernetic aesthetics
«CYSP I» in movement. Nicolas Schöffer.
Since the mechanical movement system is hidden inside the device and since it is invis- take for an ordinary domestic item (a televi- ible to the viewer, the show displayed on the sion set, a lamp, a light decoration, a kids screen could give the sensation of pictorial game, etc.), supposes a formal metamor- animation or abstract cinema. The chang- phosis acquiring a new, yet uncertain, func- es in visual programmed patterns play a tion. Through different techniques of move- predominant role in the show. Random time ment, all kinetic works by Nicolas Schöffer programs should harmoniously articulate the are meant to disappear, become transpar- artwork’s rhythm and cause a growing appe- ent and perform a visual metamorphosis, tite for non-redundant visual information: which should lead, for Nicolas Schöffer, to the Lumino project is supposed to keep the a self-canceling art. They become a more viewer’s interest awake in a state of aesthet- direct bridge between the idea that the artist ic enchantment6. The rhythm of movement wants to transfer and the effect perceived by is a crucial point designing the experience: the viewer than in traditional art forms. It is a the mechanical slow movement can help to kind of telepathic transfer «cortex to cortex» forget colors and forms of the animation, between the artist and the audience7. By starting to think to other things. doing so, the object goes through a metabi- The Lumino loses its function as a mere ological cycle: it is born, it grows, it dies and physical object and dissolves itself thanks to it rises. the dynamic projections on its screen, which The viewer of the artwork should no longer is both a protective and a projective surface. be a passive aesthetic gazer, but become an The device, which the consumers, as they actor of the show. This, of course, is part of
6. SCHÖFFER, Nicolas. Sonic and Visual Struc- 7. SERS, Philippe. Entretiens avec Nicolas tures : Theory and Experiment. Schöffer. p.21, p.148, p.153.
47 The domestication of kinetic art
the rhetoric of emancipation, characteristic and audiovisual installations. of the ‘60s. The Lumino has the goal of creat- Abstract Art blends into kinetic art thanks ing a sensory experience that will be freely to the innovative use of two materials: space interpreted by the user. In everyday life, the and time. Kinetic devices are variable in time system of symbols drifts out of our attention and they visually inscribe abstract forms in and loses interest. Nicolas Schöffer immerses space. Conceptually, this process is a fusion the observer into an abstract world unseen by between painting and sculpture because it the naked eye. The kinetic aesthetics creates becomes three-dimensionally plastic and, at a sensory experience, an interaction, a partic- the same time, prolongs and augments what ipation which could hopefully re-educate the the abstract painters have experimented with human being providing, a new critical and their art. Electronics, mechanics and comput- distanced stance toward the meaning of the er science are the techniques that allow this system of symbols8. Watching the Lumino transformation. show, the system of symbols emerges as a The Lumino is a kinetic device with a system of communication based exclusively screen that projects an abstract visual show. on fossilized messages: «the medium is the The play of light and colors is not unfamil- message»9. This idea is at the root of «infor- iar to the viewer because it is reminiscent mation aesthetics». of a phenomenon that has probably been present since «Homo Erectus» in the human Information aesthetics be taken for an abstract representation of «A world without information is a world with- out stimulations». Nicolas Schöffer. function is essential because it allows human beings to warm, to see in the dark and to The history of Abstract Art of the twenti- milestones of human evolution and over the - centuries, this thermic and luminous tech- teriality, the limits of perception, the formal nology has enabled the creation of devices reduction of the object, the effects of light, of able to exploit more and more of its quali- colors and of forms are the focus of artworks ranging from painting to sculpture, cinema in the process of urbanization that concen-
8. Speaking about the «aesthetic poten- 9. MCLUHAN, Marshall. Understanding Media: tial environment», another cybernetic artist, The Extensions of Man. Gordon Pask, explains the very same concept: «Our internal representation of an image, our active perception, answers and begins an internal dialogue with that part of our psyche responsible for producing our immediate attention. [..] Adaptive or reactive environ- ment allows us to externalize this discourse». REICHARDT, Jaisa. Cybernetic Serendipity. The computer and the arts, exhibition cata- logue. p.34–35.
48 Kinetic and cybernetic aesthetics
Lumino. Nicolas Schöffer.
49 The domestication of kinetic art
«Lumia Domestica». Willie Williams. Wallspace. London. 2008.
having to design a familiar device intended to gradually disappear from domestic daily for everyday and domestic uses, is inspired life. Lamps, appliances, heating systems - have replaced the role and function of the ance. As we saw earlier, Nicolas Schöffer is particularly interested in television, which is in modern homes, the light can be provid- the main reference to design the Lumino: ed by traditional lighting systems such as lamps or chandeliers, but, also, by electrical the homes and, at the same time, it can devices, intended for other purposes, such be considered a source of light. Thanks to as television sets or computer screens. These a succession of lights and colors changing appliances provide ambient and soft light intensity and frequency, the Lumino repro- 10. lights of greater intensity take precedence. Nicolas Schöffer represents its ever-chang- In the electronic age, Nicolas Schöffer, ing dynamics and its attractive movement
10. In the exposition «Lumia Domestica», the light artist Willie Williams references to Schöffer’s Lumino using the same visual aesthetics for his artworks and placing them inside a chimney.
50 Kinetic and cybernetic aesthetics
in an abstract way trying to synthesize forms and colors of a natural phenomenon: the research concerns the effects of this aesthet- ics on human states of mind. He hypothesiz- es that light wavelengths, color spectrum, perception of forms can cause different states of mind in the viewer’s unconscious. He is convinced that the pure forms of nature using direct color, spatial rhythm and equilib- rium of forms, hides sensorial truths that he seeks to reveal11. They contain within them- selves the symbolic and emblematic values of a new less «alienated» reality. The visual show, that comes forth from the device, expands in space of the home: it provides an Lumino special spherical version. Gift for Nicolas Schöffer from Philips. immersive sensory experience that «paints» with light «states of mind» in the domestic sphere. Nicolas Schöffer tries to combine his nication: «information» and «message». In artistic knowledge of Abstract Art with 1948 the mathematician, electronic engineer precepts of cybernetics. He attempts to and cryptographer Claude Shannon, a disci- create a system able to communicate with ple of Norbert Wiener, publishes the book A human beings using an universal idiom. This Mathematical Theory of Communication, in «language» is based on symbolic images of which he analyzes the principles of informa- natural phenomena. In the domestication of tion theory. In all systems, that have a certain kinetic devices, Nicolas Schöffer exploits the amount of information, exist, with a certain message-forming, quasi-decodable poten- probability, some messages. These messag- es can be of all kinds: numerical symbols, human beings also feel a state of comfort, linguistic symbols, sound sequences, visual safety, peace and quiet. The Lumino aims at symbols, etc.. Semiotics is dependent on the connecting mediums of Abstract Art such as degree of the organization of information. light, colors and forms with cybernetic «infor- Disorder, complexity, redundancy of informa- mation theory». The combination of these tion leads to entropy; in other words, noise - in the signal is what makes the messages ics». In cybernetic ideology, everything rests receiver: the more ordered the information on information theory and the consequent is, the more understandable the message establishment of two new concepts in commu- becomes. If a message is completely predict-
11. SCHÖFFER, Nicolas. Le Spatiodynamisme. Conference at the Sorbonne, June 19, 1954.
51 The domestication of kinetic art
«Dubonnet» video-clip. Nicolas Schöffer. 1962. Screenshot.
able, it is simply trivial. fairly ordinary primordial messages which Nicolas Schöffer’s intention is not to come from the viewer’s previous experiences. communicate a personal message by the The complexity of interpretation comes from Lumino, but rather multi-messages that will the connections in the memory network: the be open to interpretations that may emerge special ability of the artist consists in playing from the viewer’s sensibility and experiences. with sensorial experiences latent in memo- This «open work» represents a real rupture ries. Opening the reading of the artwork to with traditional art forms because the psyche multiple interpretations, «aesthetic informa- becomes an interpretative tool of the artwork tion» enriches the primordial message, the in a way that goes beyond classical interpre- sign that the viewer perceives spontaneously tations. The Lumino helps to make a series of 12. The term links to rich and complex messages, taking «poetic» is attributed to art when a kind
12. Nicolas Schöffer uses the same visual aesthetics of the Lumino for the advertising video-clip «Dubonnet», adding subliminal messages.
52 Kinetic and cybernetic aesthetics
of retroactive loop is established in the art human beings and achieve more profound system, making references from primordial self-knowledge. messages to complex messages and back. These messages are probably memories to when mankind starts its evolution. To return to our interpretations, maybe the fascination - place represents human primitive dream to domesticate a natural phenomenon. The Lumino project is based on the assumptions that the human brain virtual- ly contains collections of images of previ- by the images themselves. Visual messages are at the origin of symbolic communication that is established between a device and the human being: symbolic language is the basis of the Human Computer Interaction. In 1978, the psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan in the seminar «Le moi dans la théorie de Freud et dans la technique de la psychanalyse» states that «le monde symbol- ique, c’est le monde de la machine». From a cybernetic point of view, it is the utopian idea of abstracting models for machines using human beings and vice versa. One of the strongest criticisms that has been leveled at the cybernetic movement is this kind of abstraction that «dehumanizes» the human being and that makes him a «process without a subject», in other words it removes every individual consciousness to humanity. The Lumino, as many cybernetic-kinetic devices that have an abstract visual aesthetics, tries to establish a symbolic communication with the viewer, considering him as a machine. At the same time, Nicolas Schöffer wants a «primordial symbolism», that is common to all mankind, in order to get in touch with
53 54 Conclusion
tious project; we can just make some hypoth- Schöffer bequeathed us his lumino-kinetic eses. In the ‘70s the «Lumia», a light box device. Even though nowadays, due to the produced and commercialized by the artist technological evolution, the Lumino appears Earl Reiback in the United States, presents a inevitably aged and has lost much of its similar case, but we don’t have enough infor- «magic», numerous articles, reviews, exhibi- mation about this device to make a reasoned tions and conferences, still consecrated to it, marketing comparison. Being probably show that it continues to fascinate and that it is not destined to oblivion. In the process of domestication of kinetic art, the Lumino is an emblem of the tensions or even contradictions between the resulting Nicolas Schöffer’s portrait. Robert Doisneau. its creation. Considering that it was manu- factured/commercialized by a big company, like Philips, and that its production has never exceeded 4000 units, the Lumino project cannot be considered a real commercial success. Contradicting Nicolas Schöffer’s original idea and expectations, the Lumino did not become an object present in most homes; but it was reproduced in multiple copies, and it did retain its artistic dimen- sion. From a cybernetic point of view, a wired feedback loop came ironically into action: the Lumino was designed to socialize art and to get it out of galleries, but nowadays it is sold by galleries as a rare and expensive artwork. objectively explain the failure of this ambi-
55 The domestication of kinetic art
be commercialized, we can presume that a design project, a kinetic device that can consumers had some understandable doubts enter every home and has a supposed utility about the Lumino: what, actually, is its func- in everyday life. Other apparatus have been tion? Is it functional at all? Does it meet the created with the same implicit or explic- needs of consumers? Do they really need it? it purpose, entering the domestic sphere Is it even aesthetically attractive? Is it well thanks to their ambiguous functions and manufactured? Is it expensive? Has it been fascinating aesthetics. Rather than the «mind much advertised? What aesthetic and ideo- machines» that are supposed to create hallu- logical universe lies behind it? etc. cinatory experiences and can cause schizo- The Lumino, an emblematic object of the phrenic episodes or nervous disorders (an ‘60s, raises still very hot topics. Cybernetics, unsuccessful and dangerous domestication often tagged as an utopian and potential- of light if there ever was one), some lumi- ly totalitarian system, returns unexpectedly lighting systems, have appeared in the century under the guise of a new «smart» market of lamps/appliances for the home. technocracy. Appliances feature more and Taking into account its singular use of light more state-of-the-art sensors to get in touch and its relaxation function, the Lumino can with the users and regulate with more preci- be interpreted as a precursor of luminothera- sion their needs and desires, creating a pic devices that are produced nowadays, for smart domestic network. Perhaps technolo- instance, by Philips itself. In spite of its luke- gy continues to be seen as extension of the warm reception, Nicolas Schöffer has indeed human body, as a tool to decode human succeeded in commercializing a device that states of mind and needs and, at the same tames kinetic art in a simply way, using the time, as a channel for information from the technology of the ‘60s and designing an outside world. Some devices, like personal original moving system to modulate light. computers and smart phones, are replacing It was fascinating and instructive to discov- broadcast television system inside the home, er Nicolas Schöffer’s personalities and ideol- becoming more and more our companions ogies, through this analysis of the Lumino in the «rest city» and connecting users to a global network1. It seems that public and on the problems and contradictions raised private life may be starting to blend and that by his art. For me, his most important heri- personal devices withdraw in ourselves: the hearth and home are probably losing their historical context, the design of a domes- focal importance in everyday life. tic artwork, the cybernetic systems, human The Lumino remains a milestone in lumi- computer interaction, kinetic and abstract no-kinetic art: Nicolas Schöffer is proba- art, hypnosis, neuroscience, psychology, the
1. MITCHELL, J. William. Me++: The cyborg self and the networked city.
56 Conclusion
and technological progress, the collabora- tion between artist and industrial company. Is the Lumino promising a less violent and tormented human future? Is it a simple gadget or an emblematic device? Is the sensory experience it induces fascinating or Ma aim has only been to try to understand the means and issues inherent in Nicolas Schöffer’s Lumino project.
57 The domestication of kinetic art
Lumino stock. Philips. 1968.
58 References
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