Pol Bury

Pol Bury, Ohne Titel (Bewegt mit Motor) (Untitled [moves with motor]) or Ponctuation noire ronde (Black round punctuation), 1965

Best known for his slow-moving motorized sculptures, Pol Bury was a central figure in the rebirth of kinetic art in 1950s Europe. Untitled (Moves with Motor) is part of the artist’s Ponctuation series and combines an attention to the qualities of continuous motion with an interest in optical perception. The object consists of a white, round plate perforated with several holes and sandwiched between two black round plates of hardboard. Three rows of holes in the surface disk allow the viewer to momentarily glimpse the white disk as it rotates slowly with the aid of a motor. The work uses continuous movement to explore the capacity of human vision; the viewer cannot process every detail of the unending flow of white points and thus also cannot attain a sense of mastery over the work. For Bury, his earlier work, which called for direct audience interaction, ultimately lacked the chance effect he sought, “because all spectators make nearly the same gestures.” By introducing automation into nonparticipatory works such as this one, he was able to create for the viewer what he intended: a truly unfamiliar and surprising experience.

Image credit

Pol Bury (Belgian, 1922–2005), Ohne Titel (Bewegt mit Motor) (Untitled [moves with motor]) or Ponctuation noir ronde (Black round punctuation), 1965. Hardboard and wood with electric motor, 81/100, 23 1/4 in. (59 cm) diameter. Ludwig Museum Koblenz, Germany.