Naum Gabo, Kinetic Construction (Standing Wave) 1919-20, replica 1985
The Work of Naum Gabo © Nina & Graham Williams/Tate, London 2011
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In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, when this work was made, materials were hard to come by. 'It was the height of civil war, hunger and disorder in Russia. To find any part of machinery ¿ was next to impossible', said Gabo. Originally made to demonstrate the principles of kinetics to his students, it reflects the artist's belief in a sculpture in which space and time were active components. A strip of metal is made to oscillate so that a standing wave is set up. This movement in real time creates the illusion of volumetric space.
August 2004
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Naum Gabo
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