Thursday Salute to Originals: Reflection in Motion

Thursday, March 21, 2019

You’ve heard that art moves people, so what happens when the art actually moves with people?

Israeli-American artist Daniel Rozin creates interactive objects and surfaces that physically shift and transform with the movements of an audience. At the intersection of textured surfaces, customized software and electronic motors, Rozin’s work plays with light and movement to create visually captivating “performances.”

More intricately programmed works like Cracked Mud perform visuals that almost resemble animation. Shown below, this piece upturns bits of cracked mud in wave-like patterns, synced to the motion of observers through digital cameras.

With an orb resembling the sun hanging above the surface, the display is meant to resemble a barren, broken and burnt surface on earth.

Another recent piece called Fabric Mirror uses 400 motors and a camera to precisely mimic the motion of people who walk by. Shiny gold and red fabrics will fold and twist in patterns inspired by spontaneous motion.

Both of Rozin’s works are meant to explore how the light from the sun interacts with our bodies and with the earth. A nod to the impact of climate change, Cracked Mud symbolizes a barren future where heat from the sun has destroyed the planet. Fabric Mirror plays with human reflections from sunlight.

This Thursday, we’re saluting Daniel Rozin and his synchronized, motorized reflections. You can observe more of his interactive sculptures in action on his website.

Sources: Daniel Rozin, This is Colossal