Bálint Bolygó, a Hungarian-born artist based in the UK, creates sculptures that explore the world using physics, particularly the bending of light and the movement of pendulums. One of his more recent pieces, ArRay (2011-2012) draws on his earlier work using optical physics and adds a new component – a material called nitinol, a nickel and titanium alloy.
As Bolygó describes the piece:
ArRay is a lumino-kinetic sculpture that uses memory shape smart material – Nitinol – to bring the sculpture alive. The work uses a single light source and an octagonal prism that splits the light ray into 8 shafts of light. These all hit an array of 8 reflective surfaces that are made to gently move with the Nitinol. The nanostructure of this memory shape material allows two solid crystal structures to alternate between each other depending on the ambient temperature. As these crystalline states have different physical size and shape a physical movement occurs during the transition that can be likened to muscle movement.
ArRay is a sculpture that uses these nano-scale activities and magnifies it to create a movement in the structure that with light makes the human environment come to life.
ArRay resembles an intriguing man made mechanism – made of seemingly dead materials such as steel, aluminium, acrylic etc. This characteristic is completely contradicted by the organic movement with which the sculpture is brought to life. The ambiguous movements and light effects conjure up high-speed footage of moving plant life, microorganisms, insects or even bioluminescent deep-sea creatures. (source)
Bolygó, the child of two scientists, has said that, while his work incorporates technology, he does not consider it technological. In the case of ArRay, he says the work explores proportions, that “nature’s systems reveal fundamental similarities regardless of whether we are staring down a microscope or a telescope.” In other words, he is using physics and chemistry to explore biology and astronomy. It’s a masterful mix.
A film of the piece in motion is on Bolygó’s website.
The Finch and Pea 