Fencers
Type:
Maker Table/Exhibit
Program Area:
Arts
Day/Time: Saturday and Sunday 12:00 AM
Location: Fiesta Hall
"The Fencers" are two identical machines, set up so that they face one another. Each machine consists of a 5-foot thin aluminum rod supported in a universal joint, controlled by two variable speed and reversible motors. The two motors are attached to the same end of each rod, and move it with a sweeping or jerking. The shafts of each rod overlap by about 1 inch so they can collide as though the machines are dueling.Related site: http://www.mattheckert.com/fencers.html
Presented by
Matt Heckert
Since 1980 Matt Heckert's work has involved machines, robotics and sound. Machine generated acoustic sound is the focus of his installations and performances with the machines often being controlled by computer a based sequencer. Heckert utilizes machine forms in such a way as to suggest a degree of personality and even dramatic interaction among the various moving elements. Rather than conveying the utopian vision characteristic of the modern machine aesthetic, however, Heckert endows his sculptures with simple motor functions that suggest hysterical or Sisyphean behavior.
