Nicolas Schöffer’s kinetic works are early and significant examples of artistic creation based on cybernetics: attempts to bring the moving object into an aesthetic interaction with its environment. In the design of his constructions Schöffer took into account the space surrounding the object and incorporated it into the compositional structure of his sculptures. He called this “spatiodynamic”, a dynamic that creates a sense of immateriality in the viewer through the perception of movement. The kinetic construction, powered by electrical energy, is fitted with light bulbs and humming motors, affecting all the senses simultaneously. The pre-coded permutation system creates a finite but temporal sequence of works with countless possible versions hypnotising the viewer.

Chronos 5 is a significant artwork of the period. It anticipates the new genres created in later decades through computer programming, generative processes and the aesthetics of immersive spatial installations created by projected images.

Barnabás Bencsik