BERLIN – Nils Völker sends pulses through 108 Hoberman Spheres as they hover within the NOME Gallery.



Based in Berlin, Völker is known for large-scale installations which express the media artist's affinity for electronics and computational programming. Since 2010, the artist conducts spatial explorations with everyday objects. One simple item – a plastic bag, fan, light or beyond – is repeated in a sizable quantity. 



Völker then undividually manipulates the series of identical elements to perform actions as a collective whole. For the artist's most recent Bits and Pieces installation at Berlin's NOME Gallery, the fundamental component is a common children's toy: the Hoberman Sphere.



Many a childhood memory involve expanding and contracting the kinetic structures composed of hundreds of plastic pieces and connectors. But with the simple addition of a servomotor, the colourful toys alter their state without the touch of a human hand. Völker suspended a collection of 108 motorised orbs timed to open and close to turbulent tones. As they slowly change shape, the cluster creates the effect of a breathing organism.

Photos Bresadola+Freese/drama-berlin.de

nilsvoelker.com
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