Seth Keen

AD invited me along to the Len Lye lecture by Roger Horrocks last week and then I went back later on to check out the ACMI exhibition downstairs. Len Lye is well known in New Zealand as a NZ artist and I have the first book (biography) that Horrocks wrote in 2001. Also, I had meet and knew of Horrock’s work in NZ from previous experience in the NZ film and TV industry back in the 90s. Horrocks played a significant role in the development of NZ on Air and the Film and TV industry. I have always been inspired by Lye’s work and commitment to artistic pursuits. In this exhibition it was great to see a single idea, the exploration of motion as an art form flow through varying types of artistic practices from painting to filmmaking to kinetic sculpture. Lye’s pursuit of motion hold all of these varied outputs together and the show uses a chronological approach to develop this sense of progression back and forth across these genres. In relation to practice it struck me how Lye’s exploration of motion demonstrates the tendency towards a particular theme that holds a practice together. It takes real skill and aptitude to keep hold of a focus and have a continuing sense of what you are doing and why.

Yesterday I went back with the PP2 studio group. This is an inspirational show and Lye who lived a lot of time overseas does not shake that NZ exuberance. Waiting for the kinetic works to do their thing is a delight and I will have to take the wee one to see them.