“Crescendo” (2024)

In 2024 I built this automaton, without yet knowing much about the art of automata. Step by step, I discovered the mechanics while creating them. The piece portrays an opera singer who repeatedly cries out in humor and agony as an enormous hammer strikes his foot... again and again.

The title Crescendo refers to the musical term for a gradual rise to the loudest, most powerful note. Quite fitting when a hammer slams down on one’s foot.

To bring the cries to life, I asked audio-guru Evert Aalten and opera singer Niek Idelenburg, to record a few vocal screams especially for this work.
A small audio device is hidden inside the sculpture, triggered each time the hammer lands, accompanied by a little puff of smoke at his feet for extra drama.

What makes the work especially captivating is not only its comic performance but also the almost absurd machinery behind it. A complex interplay of gears, wheels, and levers moves in an unnecessarily complicated way, yet in the end, it performs exactly as intended. It is this excess, the roundabout mechanical construction, that transforms the object into a fascinating spectacle. 

The original piece is not available for purchase. It remains reserved for exhibition purposes in museums and institutions. For collectors, I’m happy to create a new, tailor-made version. Just send me an email and we can discuss the possibilities. 

Details

• Original Object 2024
• 67 x 40 x 100 cm
• Hand-built automaton with kinetic sculpture elements
• Wood, metal, mechanical components, electrical motor, Sound, Smoke