Aiko Groot
Disks, 2008,
Steel, Aluminium, Electro components and Solar panels,
1015mm x 500mm x 500mm
If you catch Aiko Groot’s sculpture at the right moment the discs are stacked into a neat cylindrical form. Then suddenly this seemingly immobile stack of featureless metal discs will start to rotate apart on an eccentric axis. Disks is a complex structure with a span of over 6 metres.
The discs respond individually and collectively to three distinct sources of energy. The primary source is the sun. Each disc has an integrated solar panel which powers a hidden motor. Thus the speed of these motorized discs is directly proportional to the amount of solar energy received. This energy is in constant flux because the strength of the sunlight varies and the discs in their endless rotations occlude each other.
The second source of power to the sculpture is the wind. A magnetic clutch allows the discs to spin independently of the motor on days that the wind is a stronger force than the sun. In extreme weather conditions the magnetic clutch mechanisms de-couple the motor from the sculpture and the forms move into a ‘resting’ position, a ‘reefed’ position, which minimizes forces on the structure.
The third force is the discs’ actions upon themselves. Periodically the work re-forms into a complete cylinder. This reinforces the profound change between rigid form and complex organic behaviour. Aiko Groot’s intention is to encourage a multitude of interpretations.
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Artist Bio
Born in the north of Holland in 1972, Aiko Groot emigrated to New Zealand when he was eight. After spending a number of years pursuing a parallel passion for mountaineering (taking part in expeditions to the South American Andes and the Antarctic Peninsula) he now lives in Ohakune at the foot of Mt. Ruapehu with his wife and children. He studied at the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland and graduated with a BFA in 1995.
Groot creates sculptures that move, ranging from small interior work to very large scale public pieces. His practice explores a range of interactions with available energy sources including wind, solar energy and direct interaction with the public. His sculptures are in many ways a reflection of his own ambiguous relationship with technology and our hyper-kinetic society. As he states, “I have always found gizmos interesting, yet am deeply aware of their often superfluous and dehumanising nature. There is an unmistakable irony in exploring this ambiguity with the machine by making more of them. This has led me to pursue a ‘rehumanisation’ of the technical/ mechanical; a search for the personality in the machine as it were.”
Stylistically Groot’s work has been likened to that of the great minimalists Donald Judd and Pol Bury. But in conceptual terms he considers himself better described as a maximalist, in that he aims to enhance profoundly inorganic forms with multiple layers of organic complexities through movement. A master in his practice, he is renowned for his technical expertise in the creation of kinetic sculpture. His work has been exhibited throughout New Zealand including ‘Sound Watch’, Artspace (1994), ‘Spellbound- Art+Alchemy’, The Dowse Museum (2004), and ‘Clean Machine’, Gus Fisher Gallery (2007). His sculptures can be found in both public and private collections.
May 2020