When Kinetics
Become Relics
Before Treatment
Adapted from Reinhard Bek, “A Question of KinEthics”
(2016, the Getty Conservation Institute)
Research
“When the intention of kinetic art is movement, is it still kinetic art if it doesn’t move?”
-Reinhard Bek, lecture at The Institute of Fine Arts (IFA), NYU, 2016.
Research into the object began by contacting Taka Ishii Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, the most recent dealer of the work. They identified the artist as Kiyoji Ōtsuji (大辻 清司) and provided me with an approximate date of the 1970s, along with an archival catalogue image of it in its original intact state. However, there were still unanswered questions: how exactly did it move, and how fast?
After Treatment
When presented with a box of broken parts, the only indication that this small artwork ever moved was the presence of an electric motor and attached solar cell.
The treatment has presented challenges familiar to conservators of kinetic or time-based sculptures, challenging the concept of the work as a singular object and requiring collaborative decision-making to display it in a way which is faithful to the artist’s original intention.
Treatment Rationale
When a work of kinetic art no longer moves, and it cannot be restored to its original functional condition, you are faced with two principal options: you may either choose to replicate the piece or retire it altogether. In opting to retire the artwork, one may decide to preserve it as a relic, honoring its historical and artistic significance despite the loss of its mechanical movement. This was the option chosen for this object.
Condition
Looking at the archival image, It was immediately clear that the glass dome which once fit over the assemblage was missing. In addition, the top motor unit has detached from the cork base and the solar cell had fractured.
Furthermore, 19 of the original small “fans” which hung from the spinning drum had detached, and one was missing entirely.
Treatment
Solar Cell
After determining that the solar cell was nonfunctional, a custom backing plate was laser-cut out of aluminum and the cracks were repaired with an optically clear conservation-grade epoxy.
A new backing plate was laser cut from thin aluminum to span the cracks on the back of the solar cell and reinforce its structure.
The “Fans”
Of the 60 original plastic “fans,” 19 had had broken and detached from the drum, and 1 was missing. Our own sensory observations, aided by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) , indicated that the fans were painted plastic (most likely polyethylene terephthalate [PET]).
I began the process of recreating the replacements for the broken and missing fans by transferring the dimensions of the fans in 1:1 scale into a CAD drawing. They were then cut from 0.02” styrene, a relatively stable and “non-malignant” plastic.
The replacement fans were airbrushed with enamel paints thinned.
The fluorescence of the enamel paint and a small amount of dilute shellac added to each replacement fan helps differentiate which elements are restorations.
The replacement fans are virtually indistinguishable from the originals, exhibiting the same crisp lines where colors delineate but playful application with uneven areas and exposed edges.
Finally, I inserted the replacement fans were carefully inserted into the original drum using tweezers. The order of the pattern was unknown, so I made a diagram of the paintings on the intact drums and, finding no discernible pattern, inserted the replacement drums using my best judgement.
The Glass Dome
The missing glass dome, visible in the archival images, needed to be replaced. Knowing that this would be the most collaborative component, and the one least in my control, I knew that forging a good relationship with a talented glass artist was important. I collaborated with Kevin Scanlan, a Brooklyn-based glass artist, to make a replacement piece.
Above: I used VectorWorks CAD software to draw the sample fans to scale and prepare them for laser cutting.
The treatment of this work has proven the power of collaboration possible in contemporary art conservation and invited discussion and debate over the appropriate course of treatment of an important piece of kinetic sculpture.
By harnessing the capabilities of digital manufacturing and combining them with material understanding and art historical research, the work appears more faithful to the artist’s intention and is able to be appreciated more holistically.