Kinetica Museum

K I N E T I C A MUSEUM OF KINETIC ELECTRONIC AND EXPERIMENTAL ART Set strikingly against the backdrop of the old Spitalfields Market in London's East End, Kinetica will celebrate its inaugural opening this October. Kinetica is the UK's first museum of kinetic art. It will actively encourage the convergence of art and technology, providing an exhibition space in central London where the most important examples of kinetic, technological and electronic art, both past and present, can be properly stored and displayed. Our vision is to create both a historical and contemporary art collection of seminal and cutting-edge multi-disciplinary works that date back from the 1920s through to the present day, focusing on the pioneering and influential importance of such works.Artists for centuries have expressed through their work visions of the past, present and future, the ‘artist’ has often developed an invention, idea, or structure that has lead the way forward for mankind. With the fast increasing advancement and development of a scientific and technological culture, it is only natural that many contemporary artists have crossed the plateau from ‘fine art disciplines’ into ‘multi-disciplinary new media’ with artworks that utilise and warp technology itself, to explore, nurture and comment on our evolutionary processes. Emerging from a cultural need to show-case and provide a platform for contemporary artists working in these new media, as well as to re-present significant pieces from our recent past, the ‘Kinetica’ museum will focus on work that essentially makes suggestions and contributions towards human evolution including alternative insight and reaction to scientific and universal exploration.Throughout the twentieth century western society and culture were dominated by the machine. The fascination artists held for the beauty and power of mechanical processes established an enduring dialogue between creativity and technology. Many contemporary artists have now extended and enriched this dialogue between human and machine through the use of groundbreaking technological advancements of recent times which include; robotics, sensors, computing, engineering, lasers, and countless other tools and devices. This new ‘wave’ in reference to the metaphor of our ‘great’ machine ‘the Universe’, has inspired a new generation of artists to explore scientific discoveries and challenge technological life.Through the experience of running ‘The Luminaries’ kinetic and interactive gallery 2003-2004 (http://www.theluminaries.com) we have found there to be an increasing number of pioneering and up-coming artists working within these new realms. Kinetica aims to play a significant role in the formation of this reclaimed movement by showcasing many of these avant-garde artists to not just the regular ‘art-goer’ but to a new generation of viewers who will engage, participate and create with the art itself - a growing audience with a fascination for art that has a life of its own, one that is kinetic. Given the significant history and vital range of contemporary work, it is surprising there is no permanent space within the UK where examples of such art are housed or made available for public display. The lack of any gallery or museum to celebrate and promote this work to national and international audiences points to a specific cultural deficit. Kinetica’s mission is to remedy this deficit. Consisting of artists, curators, and other creative professionals, Kinetica Museum Ltd is in the process of designing and promoting a permanent exhibition space in central London where the most important examples of kinetic and electronic art, both past and present, from around the world can be properly catalogued and displayed. Once operational, Kinetica will offer an extraordinary spectacle to visitors, whilst offering a valuable service to artists, scholars and historians. The ethos of ‘Kinetica’ is to heighten and explore the awareness of the human spirit by exhibiting engaging works of art that represent ideas and tendencies towards new ways of thinking. The perception of the viewer plays a large part in the dialogue with the work. The artist’s use of multi-disciplinary media will form a continually expanding collection that will not only question and challenge the boundaries of mankind’s future developments within contemporary art but also realise the impact of the great pioneering and seminal works of yesteryear. Kinetica will help to cement the reputation of London, and the UK, as a leading international centre for experimental art on a par with other centres such as Eyebeam’s digital museum in New York and ZKM’s Art and Media centre in Germany.