The M.A.D.Gallery is pleased to present five 'Endless Movement' artworks by Ukrainian artist duo Smith & Winken.

Smith & Winken’s kinetic sculptures make you look twice by using mundane materials that come at you from unexpected angles. These artworks remind us that each human is a mechanism, as is our planet and the entire universe.
 
The duo has brought forth a series of kinetic objects grouped in a collection called Endless Movement.

Smith & Winken Thrinax, Apollo 18, Hover, and Skipper

Endless Movement is a limited-edition kinetic sculpture collection currently containing 20 artworks. The MB&F M.A.D.Gallery in Geneva has the pleasure of featuring five of these: Thrinax, Apollo 18, Hover, and two variations of Skipper.

Endless Movement slips into a slight gap between time and space where the laws of nature and mechanics shift ever so slightly. The collection uses wood, textiles, and metal as the primary materials, while the elements of the sculptures are set in motion by specially designed mechanisms. The mechanisms appear as living organisms that might have existed in the distant past or the unpredictable future on any planet in the universe.
 

Thrinax

Thrinax, made of metal and North American walnut, looks like it it’s ready to take off. Despite the heavy, tropical-looking wood used in its making, the open plan of its design makes it seem so light that it could float. The hypnotic motion is comforting and mesmerizing at the same time. Thrinax measures 1160 mm (height) x 1860/2100 mm (diameter) x 1160 mm and is limited to 20 pieces.

Have a look at the video !

Skipper

Pulsating from side to side, light sources going along for the ride, Skipper symbolizes life cycles. Made of contrasting metal and textile pleats, Skipper reminds us of both the durability and fragility of life. Available in chrome or graphite at the MB&F M.A.D.Gallery, Skipper is limited to 10 examples in each variation and measures 1540 mm (width) x 1030 mm (height) x 185 mm (diameter).

Here is a video of Skipper in motion!

Apollo 18

Apollo 18 was inspired by the real-life fact that NASA’s Apollo missions finished with Apollo 17. This sculpture thus poses the question what Apollo 18 might have been. Made of stainless steel, ash wood, and other metal, this object pulsates in tune with the infinity of the universe. Apollo 18 measures 1120 mm (width) x 1610 mm (height) x 800 mm (diameter) and is limited to 12 examples.

See it for yourself in this video. 

Hover

Is it an insect or is it Hover? This sculpture with its wild “eyes” lurks and pulses as if it came straight out of the woods. Once activated, it seems to float thanks to its “wings” made of textile pleats, which come in grey or blue. Limited to 10 examples, Hover measures 240/920 mm (width) x 940 mm (height) x 95 mm (diameter).

Check out the video ! 

Smith & Winken: approach

Smith & Winken’s Endless Movement artworks display organic harmony in their mechanics while ensuring that the object is artistic and meaningful based on the duo’s perception of life and origin. The mechanical components of each object are laid bare so that the observer can see and immediately understand that they are controlled by and subject to only the laws of physics.

“Each of the collection's objects arose as an attempt to learn from the basic mechanisms and patterns of interaction between the earth structures, living and artificial,” Smith explains the objective of his art. “Again and again, we raise the question ‘What is life?’ Exploring scenarios of the future, we demonstrate the hypothetical forms that can develop in the process of evolution.”
 
“Having come a long way from finding a shape, images, creating countless sketches, to a finished object, now we are moving in the right direction,” adds Winken. “Our goal is to observe, study, and rethink the world around us [in] an attempt to slow down and realize that everyday materials and phenomena can look totally different. Kinetic sculptures appeal to the eternal and their physical dimensions are commensurate with human proportions, and they are emotionally in tune.”

Smith & Winken: background

Smith (Valeriy Kuznetsov) is the co-founder of Ukrainian design studio decorkuznetsov. He has authored or co-authored more than 250 interior and architectural projects and participates as a juror or expert in many European exhibitions. He has won international awards, including Red Dots for design concepts in 2020 and 2015.

Otto Winken is a Ukrainian engineer and architect of Austrian origin who has numerous architectural and unique design projects under his belt.
 
The Smith & Winken studio is located in Dnipro, Ukraine, the center of the space industry in the USSR era. The images of early space exploration are as inspirational to the duo as the colors used in the paintings of Dutch masters like Bosch, Brueghel, and Rembrandt.

A current trend that motivates the duo is the “fusion” of technology, design, and art.

To see these mechanical marvels for yourself, you can either book a private appointment to visit our gallery in Geneva or visit the M.A.D.Gallery online to dive into the dynamic world of kinetic art.

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