kinetic installations | design news and projects https://www.designboom.com/tag/kinetic-installations/ designboom magazine | your first source for architecture, design & art news Sat, 27 Sep 2025 17:09:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 kinetic sculpture outlines moving face onto tower’s stonework in french theme park https://www.designboom.com/technology/kinetic-sculpture-moving-face-tower-stonework-french-historical-theme-park-leva-09-28-2025/ Sun, 28 Sep 2025 03:01:23 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1155574 206 custom modules form the expressive moving face.

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Leva designs kinetic face for Puy du Fou’s L’Épée du Roi Arthur

 

Turin-based engineering firm Leva has developed a large-scale kinetic face installation for L’Épée du Roi Arthur, one of the performances at France’s Puy du Fou historical theme park. The permanent outdoor structure takes the form of a moving face, integrated into a tower, which animates during the show to represent the sorceress Morgane.

 

The installation combines mechanical precision with theatrical staging. Measuring 12 sqm, the sculpture is composed of 206 custom-designed modules, each driven by a linear actuator with a 70-cm travel range. These elements work together to create a continuously moving surface capable of fluid, lifelike expression while remaining durable under outdoor performance conditions.


all images courtesy of Leva

 

 

kinetic face demonstrates the role of motion in stage design

 

At the core of the project is Leva’s proprietary motion control system, which synchronizes the movements of every actuator. This allows the face to perform nuanced gestures and shifts that integrate into the show’s narrative. The design team optimized the arrangement of modules to maximize visual resolution, ensuring the sculpture’s geometry remains clear and legible from audience viewing distances.

 

The material and structural strategies emphasize both efficiency and long-term operability. Maintenance requirements were considered during the design phase, with modular construction simplifying future adjustments. The result is a dynamic wall sculpture that merges engineering with performance design, enhancing the immersive qualities of the Arthurian story. Leva’s kinetic face installation at Puy du Fou extends the company’s portfolio of large-scale kinetic works. Previous projects include the world’s largest kinetic wall for Aramco’s VIP innovation center and an interactive tunnel inspired by desert dunes in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.


Leva designs a kinetic face for Puy du Fou’s L’Épée du Roi Arthur


the moving sculpture represents the sorceress Morgane on stage


a 12-square-meter surface animates within a stone tower


the installation merges engineering precision with live performance


206 custom modules form the expressive moving face

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together, the modules create lifelike and fluid motion


optimized module layout ensures visual resolution and clarity


the kinetic face integrates into the show’s narrative

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the dynamic sculpture enhances immersion in the Arthurian story

 

project info:

 

name: Kinetic Face
designer-engineer: Leva | @leva.io

location: Puy Du Fou, Les Epesses, France

client: Puy Du Fou

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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fabric and sound art installations evoke underwater landscape within gothic dutch church https://www.designboom.com/art/fabric-sound-art-installations-underwater-landscape-gothic-dutch-church-buoyants-grote-kerk-veere-zeeland-netherlands-ludmila-rodrigues-mike-rijnierse-09-10-2025/ Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:00:46 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1153253 buoyants installation combines kinetic sculpture, sound, and light, transforming the historic grote kerk veere.

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Buoyants by Ludmila Rodrigues and Mike Rijnierse

 

Inside the 600-year-old Grote Kerk Veere in Zeeland, Netherlands, artists Ludmila Rodrigues and Mike Rijnierse present Buoyants, a site-specific installation that transforms the church nave into a fluid, underwater-like environment. The work combines a kinetic sculpture in lightweight fabric with a multichannel soundscape, reinterpreting the lost Gothic ceiling while emphasizing the region’s deep connection with water.


Buoyants by Ludmila Rodrigues and Mike Rijnierse for the Grote Kerk Veere, in Zeeland, Netherlands, 2025 | all images by Benjamin van der Spek

 

 

a spatial choreography of fabric, sound, and light

 

The installation by creative Ludmila Rodrigues and artist Mike Rijnierse integrates three key elements: a suspended sculpture made of green voile, a spatial sound environment, and landing platforms where visitors can recline to experience both sound and vibration. The sculpture, positioned seven meters above ground, is animated by a custom mechanical system developed by Rob Bothof. Its slow movements resemble wave patterns and sea life while echoing the verticality and geometry of Gothic vaults.

 

Sound plays a central role in the project. Composed by Ji-Youn Kang, the two-hour soundscape is designed as a vertical layering of tones, guiding attention upward and into the space. Low frequencies are transmitted into the landing platforms, allowing visitors to feel the vibrations physically.


Buoyants transforms the nave of Grote Kerk Veere into a fluid, underwater-like landscape

 

 

Gothic Dutch Church turns into Underwater-Like Space

 

Buoyants reflects on the cultural and environmental history of Zeeland, a region long shaped by tides, floods, and rising sea levels. The artists approached water as both a material and temporal continuum, connecting the distant past of oceanic origins with the uncertain future shaped by climate change. At the same time, the work re-imagines the architectural grandeur of the church’s medieval ceiling, lost centuries ago, by creating a contemporary spatial choreography of fabric, sound, and light.

 


a suspended green voile sculpture reinterprets the lost Gothic ceiling

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the fabric element hovers seven meters above the nave, animated by custom mechanics


a multichannel soundscape fills the nave with layered, spatial tones


visitors recline on platforms to experience both sound and movement

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the work creates a dialogue between architecture, water, and environment


the sculptures’ slow movements resemble waves, sea life, and water currents


the kinetic sculpture shifts slowly, producing ever-changing visual rhythms


the suspended lightweight green voile achieves fluidity and motion


‘furry islands’ within the space enhance visitors’ tactile experience

 

project info:

 

name: ‘Buoyants’ art installation at Grote Kerk Veere
designers: Ludmila Rodrigues | @thebodyoftheaudienceMike Rijnierse | @mikerijnierse

materials: voile, nylon rope, electronics, 8:4:3 multichannel sound installation

soundscape: Ji Youn Kang

motion engineering: Rob Bothof

3D rendering assistance: Sofia Chionidou

sound engineering: Dario Giustarini

seamstress: Tessa Bekker

wood work: Bas de Boer

intern: Norah van Lith

photographer: Benjamin van der Spek

drone footage: Wilbert Calhouw

commissioned by: Grote Kerk Veere in cooperation with CBK Zeeland

supported by: Municipality of Veere, Zeeland’s Province, the Mondriaan Fund, the Familiefonds Hurgronje, Hoogwerkt, AutoHopper, Quartair, and the Embassy of Brazil

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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vincent leroy’s kinetic cloud sculpture of glossy pink spheres hovers at seoul’s design plaza https://www.designboom.com/art/vincent-leroy-kinetic-cloud-sculpture-glossy-pink-spheres-seoul-design-plaza-09-05-2025/ Fri, 05 Sep 2025 16:45:47 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1152388 slow motion transforms the mirrored spheres into fluid, organic compositions.

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Vincent Leroy’s kinetic sculpture evokes cosmic molecular cloud

 

Installed in front of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Molecular Cloud is a kinetic sculpture by French artist Vincent Leroy. The work draws inspiration from cosmic molecular formations, translating them into a floating, cloud-like structure suspended within the urban setting. The piece is part of DDP Design & Art in Seoul, whose 2025 edition explores the theme of movement.

 

The installation consists of large mirrored spheres tinted in glossy pink. These elements reflect the surrounding environment, sky, buildings, and passersby, creating a constantly shifting interplay of light and form. Slowly, the spheres move in relation to one another, generating fluid and changing compositions. The motion suggests organic breathing, achieved through a calibrated balance between geometric structure and mechanical precision.


all images by Vcollective – Shirley Xie – Titi Lee unless stated otherwise

 

 

Moving mirrored pink spheres capture Seoul’s changing light

 

Positioned against the backdrop of Zaha Hadid’s DDP, Molecular Cloud establishes a dialogue with the building’s flowing, metallic architecture. The contrast between the static structure and the moving sculpture highlights different approaches to material, form, and reflection. Together, they produce an environment where light, shadow, and surface interact in continuous variation.

 

The project was originally conceived by the artist in Paris and first presented in California at the Coachella Festival in 2023. For its installation in Seoul, it was fabricated in Guangzhou and realized through collaboration with a Hong Kong–based production agency, underlining its international scope. By combining reflective material, kinetic engineering, and spatial placement, Vincent Leroy’s Molecular Cloud explores the intersection of sculpture, architecture, and environment. Its slow movements invite observation and pause within the pace of the city, encouraging an experience of space defined as much by stillness as by motion.


Vincent Leroy’s kinetic sculpture evokes cosmic molecular formations


glossy pink mirrored spheres form the floating cloud-like structure

 


the installation reflects sky, city, and passersby in shifting patterns


Molecular Cloud’s poles mirror the building’s traffic people axes


spheres hover lightly against Zaha Hadid’s metallic architecture | image by Seoul_4K


movement suggests a rhythmic breathing within the urban setting


Molecular Cloud explores stillness, movement, and spatial perception


slow motion transforms the spheres into fluid, organic compositions

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Molecular Cloud installed in front of Seoul’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza

 

project info:

 

name: Molecular Cloud

designer: Vincent Leroy | @vincent_leroy_studio

location: Seoul, Korea

host: DDP Design & Art in Seoul | @ddp_seoul

curator: Minsoo Kim – Seoul Design Foundation | @seoul_design_foundation

production: Vcollective – Shirley Xie | @vcollective_ltd

exhibition agency: DesignNuha

photography and video: Vcollective – Shirley Xie – Titi Lee | @vcollective_ltd

photography number 6: Seoul_4K | @Seoul_4K

music video: Emile Kôji | @emile.koji

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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vincent leroy’s optical mobile of floating lenses dances with hot air balloons over cappadocia https://www.designboom.com/art/vincent-leroy-optical-mobile-floating-lenses-hot-air-balloons-cappadocia-08-27-2025/ Wed, 27 Aug 2025 09:40:14 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1151352 wind and light become active elements of the kinetic installation.

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Floating Fresnel Lenses shape a kinetic sculpture by Vincent Leroy

 

In the valleys of Cappadocia, French artist Vincent Leroy has installed Floating Lenses, a kinetic sculpture that interacts with wind, light, and the surrounding landscape.

 

The work is composed of concentric Fresnel lenses mounted on a carbon and 3D printed frame. Activated by natural air currents, the structure shifts gently, refracting and distorting its environment. As the morning balloons rise across the horizon, their forms appear multiplied, dissolved, and reshaped through the lenses, producing layered visual effects that alter the perception of space.


the lenses float between sky and earth | all images by Vincent Leroy Studio

 

 

Wind and light become active elements of the kinetic installation

 

Rather than functioning as a static object, the installation operates as a responsive surface. Each lens reframes fragments of sky and terrain, generating a continuous sequence of visual transformations. The project emphasizes the relationship between movement, optics, and landscape, where technology integrates with natural conditions instead of dominating them.

 

With Floating Lenses, artist Vincent Leroy extends his investigation into optical devices and kinetic structures, reinterpreting the Fresnel lens beyond its utilitarian origins. The installation highlights the potential of material and environmental forces, such as wind, light, and perspective, to create a spatial experience in constant flux.


the lenses capture the first rays of the sun


a silent visual choreography


the mobile echoes the morning dance of hot-air balloons in Cappadocia


a natural kaleidoscope in perpetual transformation

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the work generates a spatial experience in constant flux


the installation is one with the landscape

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the sculpture creates a dialogue between movement and optics


hot air balloons ripple and echo through the lenses, like a drifting mirage


close-up of refracted landscapes through a single lens

 

project info:

 

name: Floating Lenses

designer: Vincent Leroy | @vincent_leroy_studio

location: Cappadocia, Turkey

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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hundreds of vertical untreated steel rebars shape maetherea’s kinetic installation in the UK https://www.designboom.com/art/vertical-untreated-steel-rebars-maetherea-kinetic-installation-uk-iron-reef-08-10-2025/ Sun, 10 Aug 2025 07:01:38 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1149214 iron reef emerges from the tidal river of norfolk as an observation device shaped by time, decay, and the rhythms of nature.

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Iron Reef: A Submerged Mythology Emerges in Norfolk

 

Iron Reef is a permanent site-specific installation by Maetherea, the London-based studio led by Cristina Morbi, commissioned by Norfolk County Council for the Norfolk Way Art Trail. Located along the banks of the River Yare near the historic Reedham Ferry in Norfolk, UK, the project engages with the landscape through a kinetic, participatory structure shaped by environmental rhythms and local history.

 

The design draws from the chain-driven mechanism of the ferry, translating its industrial movement into a flexible field of hundreds of vertical untreated steel rebars. These rebars sway in the wind, recalling the movement of reeds, and establish a direct visual and material dialogue with Reedham’s industrial and nautical traditions. Visitors can move through the sculpture, where their presence influences subtle shifts in movement and sound.


image by Cristina Morbi

 

 

Maetherea’s design embraces natural and non-human forces

 

The work operates within Studio Maetherea’s concept of Design Phenology, a design approach that recognises time, weather, and non-human forces as active components of a work’s evolution. In Iron Reef, these forces are incorporated rather than resisted. Seasonal flooding submerges the lower sections of the structure, and over time, oxidation, patina, and microbial growth form a living surface. The piece becomes both a sculptural object and a habitat, linking biological processes with industrial form.

 

Integrated within the installation is a phosphorescent pathway, designed to absorb daylight and emit a soft glow at dusk. This feature guides visitors toward the water’s edge while maintaining a low visual impact. Like the surrounding reedbeds, the sculpture’s appearance shifts with the seasons, green in spring and summer, and golden or skeletal in autumn and winter.


permanent site-specific installation by Maetherea on the River Yare | image by Cristina Morbi

 

 

Iron Reef provides a space for observation and reflection

 

Through its open geometry and slow material transformation, Iron Reef provides a space for observation and reflection. It functions as an environmental and social interface, positioned at the intersection of art, ecology, and local infrastructure.

 

The project was supported by Broadland District Council, Reedham Parish Council, Reedham Ferry Inn + Campsite, the Broads Authority, and coordinated by Creative Giants. It contributes to the Norfolk Way Art Trail as both a sculptural landmark and a responsive structure that evolves alongside its setting, registering the passage of time and the changing conditions of the Broads.


minimal and raw, the materials are left exposed to the elements | image by Kristina Chan


hundreds of untreated steel rebars shape the sculpture | image by Cristina Morbi

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Maetherea’s Design Phenology embraces time and weather as design agents | image by Kristina Chan


oxidation and patina create a living surface over time | image by Kristina Chan


the work links biological processes with industrial form | image by Kristina Chan


Iron Reef serves as an observation device and amphibious structure | image by Kristina Chan


untreated steel rebars sway gently with the breeze, echoing the rhythm of reedbeds and ferry chains | image by Kristina Chan


open geometry invites observation and reflection | image by Kristina Chan

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visitors are invited to move through and touch the flexible structure, activating a quiet choreography of motion image by Kristina Chan

 

 

project info:

 

name: Iron Reef
designer: Maetherea | @maetherea

location: Reedham Ferry, Norfolk, UK

 

lead designer: Cristina Morbi

client: Norfolk County Council

fabrication: Other People’s Sculpture

engineering: Price & Myers

client’s agent: Creative Giants

project management: Aurora Destro

assistant: Cristina Brena

community engagement: Liz McGowan

partner: Broadland District Council, Reedham Parish Council

stakeholders: Reedham Ferry Inn + Campsite, Archer family, Broads Authority

photographer: Kristina Chan | @kristina_chan_, Cristina Morbi

part of: Norfolk Way Art Trail

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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hyunje joo’s coastal ‘art dome pavilion’ shimmers with 8,000 iridescent pixels in korea https://www.designboom.com/art/hyunje-joo-art-dome-pavilion-shimmers-8000-iridescent-pixels-korea-maengbang-beach-08-05-2025/ Mon, 04 Aug 2025 23:15:36 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1148250 the kinetic 'art dome pavilion' by hyunje joo refracts the coastal light of south korea's maengbang beach into an ever-shifting landscape.

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Art dome pavilion mimics sunlight on the water

 

The Art Dome Pavilion by Korean designer Hyunje Joo rises from the sands of Maengbang Beach in Samcheok, South Korea, as a transparent arc that flickers with movement and light. Commissioned by the Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation, the pavilion is an ephemeral installation which takes shape as a structural gesture, comprising 8,000 acrylic pixels that shift and shimmer with the coastal breeze.

art pavilion hyunje joo
8,000 transparent pixels reflect light and wind on Maengbang Beach | images © Min

 

 

hyunje joo’s Responsive Skin on the Shore

 

Located along the eastern coastline in Gangwon-do, artist Hyunje Joo’s Art Dome Pavilion responds directly to its environment. Each transparent pixel is layered by hand and catches sunlight and sea breeze to create a surface that feels in motion even when still. As daylight shifts, the refractions on the dome’s surface alternate between barely-there glints and saturated waves of color, reflecting the beach’s changing light conditions.

 

Visitors approaching the Art Dome Pavilion encounter a tactile boundary between land and sky, where the layered material refracts the surrounding scene. The sense of enclosure is delicate — more optical than physical — and the effect is quietly immersive. From inside the dome, the surrounding landscape dissolves into luminous fragments.

art pavilion hyunje joo
the installation captures the sunset and dusk as light is held within its shimmering pixels

 

 

pixelated Material Logic and Assembly

 

Hyunje Joo’s use of repetition and transparency forms the conceptual and structural basis for the Art Dome Pavilion. The 8,000 stacked components create a continuous, curved surface without relying on traditional cladding or framing systems. Instead, the installation depends on massing and careful alignment, allowing the material itself to define both structure and experience.

 

Rather than attempting to dominate the coastline, the pavilion exists in dialogue with its surroundings. Its curved footprint traces a subtle arc along the beach, framing views while remaining partially translucent. The shape encourages visitors to circle, enter, and dwell, offering varied perspectives that shift with each step.

art pavilion hyunje joo
the coastline is transformed into a living canvas

 

 

While the pavilion’s geometry remains fixed, its appearance is always changing. This mutability reinforces its symbolic role as a gathering point for personal aspirations. According to the client, the Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation, the installation reflects a broader hope: that visitors’ dreams and desires will shimmer through, each distinct in color and tone, much like the shifting pixels themselves.

 

Though minimal in palette and form, the Art Dome Pavilion delivers a reflective and porous spatial experience that’s at once open and enclosed. Hyunje Joo’s design invites repeated encounters, where the viewer’s position, the wind, and the weather all shape what the experience becomes.

art pavilion hyunje joo
as the sun sets, the pavilion glows with the sky’s changing palette

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the colorful patterns ripple and shift with the breeze, mirroring the movement of light and air

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as sunlight filters through the iridescent pixels, it casts vivid, mosaic-like shadows on the sand

 

project info:

 

name: Art dome Pavilion
designer: Hyunje Joo | @hyunjejoo

location: Maengbang Beach, Geundeok-myeon, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do, South Korea
client: Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation
completion: 2025
photography: © Min

 

project team: Donghwan Kim, Wooseok Jo, Seungmin Lee, Jaeho Jeon, Junsik Eom, Wonhyeok Lee, Jimin Kim, Gwanghee Lim, Gayeon Park, Juhyo Lee, Irum Song, Chewon Lee, Donggeun Kwon, Horim Jeon, Eunbi Kim, Dayu Jeong (student at Kangwon National University), Kyunghee Kwak, Yoojin Kang, Younghye Kim. Dong-young Kim, Jungyeon Lee, Soyoung Min (Samcheok Tourism & Culture Foundation)
manufacturer: HAUS culture (Hogi Kim)
finish material: PE (hologram pixel)

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nine steel rings continuously rotate in cycles for SpY’s form-bending kinetic sculpture https://www.designboom.com/art/nine-steel-rings-cycles-spy-form-bending-kinetic-sculpture-07-30-2025/ Wed, 30 Jul 2025 10:50:00 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1147314 'cycles' sculpture articulates a dialogue between time, movement, and perception.

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nine rotating steel rings make up SpY’s kinetic sculpture

 

SpY presents ‘Cycles,’ a kinetic sculpture composed of nine steel rings that rotate on their axis at different speeds, creating a constantly changing visual ensemble. The rings, of different diameters, rest on top of each other in a delicate balance that suggests a stability as calculated as it is fragile. As they rotate, they change their appearance: what the eye perceives as a circle can become an ellipse, and vice versa, depending on the angle of view and the speed of rotation. Driven from its base by a mechanism that allows rotation in two directions, the installation unfolds a perpetual choreography: a continuous cycle that produces infinite patterns, in which the shapes collide visually and transform before the viewer’s eyes. In this process, figures that seemed stable become ambiguous, generating illusions that affect the audience’s perception.


all images by Ruben PBescos

 

 

Cycles sculpture encourages reconsideration of time as form

 

The constant rotation confuses the spatial reading of the rings and blurs the notions of rotation and depth. In Cycles, SpY uses movement and time as sculptural materials. These not only alter the perceived form but also directly affect understanding, causing a state of perceptual dislocation. The loss of spatial references prevents a stable image of the sculpture from being fixed, producing a sense of visual disorientation. Continuing his research into kinetic systems and geometries in motion, the artist explores perception and time as artistic tools, actively involving the audience in the experience of his works. Cycles invites us to rethink the sculptural form not as a finished object, but as a consequence of movement. It is a proposal that sculpts time and turns the gaze into an active, physical, and mental act.


Cycles by SpY is a kinetic sculpture made of nine rotating steel rings

 


each ring rotates on its axis at a unique speed, creating shifting compositions

 

 

project info:

 

name: CYCLES
artist: SpY | @spy__studio

photographer: Ruben PBescos | @rubenpb

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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historic industrial chimney becomes roaming sculpture by team B/O in south korea https://www.designboom.com/art/historic-industrial-chimney-playful-roaming-sculpture-team-bo-south-korea-06-30-2025/ Mon, 30 Jun 2025 10:30:24 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1141450 as the sculpture rolls gently through the village, it becomes a storyteller, inviting new encounters with old memories.

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Team B/O reimagines Janghang smokestack as moving sculpture

 

In the quiet town of Janghang, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, an unlikely transformation is unfolding. The old chimney of the Janghang Smelter — a major copper refining facility established in 1936 under Japanese colonial rule — has been reimagined as a moving sculpture that rekindles human connection and collective memory. Once a towering emblem of Korea’s rapid industrial growth, the smelter left a complex legacy: while it fueled national development, it also polluted the surrounding environment with heavy metals and dust. The Roaming Chimney, a conceptual project by Seoul-based Team B/O, breathes life into this decommissioned structure, transforming it from a static industrial relic into a living, roaming symbol of shared history and intergenerational dialogue.

the roaming chimney 1
all images courtesy of Team B/O

 

 

the roaming chimney revives legacy through local memory

 

Team B/O, led by Jooyong Baek and Seyoung Ok, spent time in Janghang engaging with the local community, especially elders who have lived through the town’s changing landscape. The Korean collective gathered stories in places like Nil Café, the local town office, and Lamp Café, compiling vivid recollections that paint the chimney as more than mere infrastructure. According to residents, it once served as a familiar backdrop to daily life: children played nearby, and some even danced atop its wide rim. These testimonies, carefully documented by the design team, underscore the deep emotional and cultural imprint left by the structure, casting the chimney not only as an industrial artifact, but as a character in its own right.

 

Yet in the eyes of the younger generation, the chimney has faded into obscurity, becoming an alien monument of a bygone era. In response, The Roaming Chimney envisions the smokestack as a playful, sentient presence. No longer upright or inert, it pauses after decades of nonstop labor, then begins to move — not to pollute, but to reconnect. As it rolls gently through the village of Songrimdonghwa, its curved body becomes both sculpture and storyteller, inviting new encounters with old memories. Through this poetic transformation, Team B/O offers a powerful metaphor for healing, remembrance, and continuity, encouraging viewers to see industrial remnants not as static ruins, but as dynamic vessels of living history.

the roaming chimney 5
The Roaming Chimney, a conceptual project by Seoul-based Team B/O

the roaming chimney 3
the static industrial relic turns into a living, roaming symbol

the roaming chimney 4
the curved body of the structure becomes both sculpture and storyteller

the roaming chimney 6
Team B/O offers a powerful metaphor for healing, remembrance, and continuity

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according to residents, the chimney once served as a familiar backdrop to their daily life

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the Roaming Chimney envisions the smokestack as a playful, sentient presence

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no longer upright or inert, it pauses after decades of nonstop labor, then begins to move

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the structure now moves not to pollute, but to reconnect

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installation of the Roaming Chimney

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construction of the Roaming Chimney

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construction of the Roaming Chimney

 

 

 

 

project info:

 

 

name: The Roaming Chimney
artist: team B/O | @bo_beyondordinary
design team: (Jooyong Baek & Seyoung Ok)
location: Janghang, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom

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vincent leroy’s kinetic installation of metallic mesh flowers floats above hainan island in china https://www.designboom.com/art/vincent-leroy-kinetic-installation-metallic-mesh-flowers-hainan-island-china-bloom-06-27-2025/ Fri, 27 Jun 2025 01:15:03 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1140960 woven petals filter daylight, producing layered patterns of transparency and shadow.

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Bloom installation suspends above public space in Sanya

 

Installed on the tropical island of Hainan in southern China, Bloom is a large-scale kinetic installation designed by Vincent Leroy. Positioned above a public space in Sanya, the work spans 40 meters in width, 15 meters in height, and 17 meters in depth, forming an expansive suspended composition.

 

The installation consists of more than 800 woven metal discs, each shaped to evoke the form of plumeria flowers, a plant species closely associated with the island. The use of ultra-thin metallic mesh lends a lightweight appearance to the structure while allowing for kinetic movement. Responsive to air currents, the individual components rotate gently, producing slow, continuous motion.


all images by Vincent Leroy Studio and Xu Zhang

 

 

Vincent Leroy imagines a giant flight of kinetic flowers

 

Material selection and form work together to engage with light and atmosphere. The woven petals filter natural daylight, creating patterns of transparency, shadow, and color modulation. As sunlight passes through the metal mesh, surfaces below are illuminated with diffuse golden tones.

 

The structural design by artist Vincent Leroy emphasizes balance between scale and delicacy, allowing the installation to remain visually integrated within its setting while offering dynamic engagement with environmental conditions.


over 800 woven metal discs form the structure’s expansive suspended composition


each disc is shaped to reference the plumeria flower, native to Hainan Island


ultra-thin metallic mesh gives the installation a lightweight and airy appearance


the woven petals filter daylight, producing layered patterns of transparency and shadow


sunlight passing through the mesh generates soft, diffuse golden tones


the components respond to air currents, creating slow, continuous rotation


Bloom spans 40 meters wide, 15 meters high, and 17 meters deep above a public space in Sanya, China

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kinetic movement transforms the suspended elements into a dynamic, shifting composition

 

project info:

 

name: Bloom
designer: Vincent Leroy@vincent_leroy_studio

curator: Yulan Zhang

development: Tunderly Group

location: Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex, Sanya, Hainan, China

photographer, videographer: Vincent Leroy Studio, Xu Zhang

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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flowing UK river becomes engine for handcrafted kinetic installation by tom & matt https://www.designboom.com/art/flowing-uk-river-engine-handcrafted-kinetic-installation-tom-matt-06-03-2025/ Wed, 04 Jun 2025 03:01:59 +0000 https://www.designboom.com/?p=1136619 as the river flows, waterwheels turn — each paddle a handcrafted frame of wildlife in motion, reminding viewers to keep UK waterways clean and freely flowing.

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‘Flow’ turns River Neath into a water-powered animation

 

London-based directing duo Tom Wrigglesworth and Matt Robinson — known collectively as Tom & Matt — unveil Flow, a short film powered entirely by wooden waterwheels and the natural current of the River Neath in South Wales. The outdoor installation combines analog animation techniques with environmental storytelling, aiming to spotlight the urgent need to protect the UK’s freshwater habitats. Set along a quiet, picturesque stretch of the River Neath — a site as vulnerable to pollution as it is beautiful — the project transforms the river itself into a kinetic sculpture that brings the story of native wildlife to life through movement.

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all images courtesy of Tom & Matt

 

 

tom & matt highlight the need to protect UK waterways

 

Instead of relying on modern tech, Tom & Matt stripped the process down to its essentials: water, wood, and movement. As the river flows, it turns a series of custom-built waterwheels. Each of these 21 wheels holds eight hand-cut wooden paddles, each paddle a single frame in a looping wildlife animation. The result: animated sequences that quite literally come to life through the movement of water. The team constructed a total of 168 individual paddles, each cut from 2mm FSC-certified wood sourced from responsibly managed forests. These loops represent native aquatic species, imagined as emerging from beneath the surface and cycling in endless motion — until the river stops. ‘If the river stops, so does all the wildlife within,’ the directing duo explains, underscoring the project’s message: flowing water is not only life-sustaining but essential to the very animation of ecosystems.

 

In contrast to the increasing dominance of AI and digital tools in filmmaking, Flow opts for tactility and simplicity. The project channels the spirit of early animation while delivering a contemporary environmental message — all without screens, batteries, or code. It’s a poetic reminder that sometimes, nature itself can be the most powerful storyteller.

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as the river flows, it turns a series of custom-built waterwheels

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each of the wheels holds eight hand-cut wooden paddles, each paddle a single frame in a looping wildlife animation

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animated sequences that quite literally come to life through the movement of water

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the project transforms the river itself into a kinetic sculpture

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the project channels the spirit of early animation while delivering a contemporary environmental message

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the team constructed a total of 168 individual paddles

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‘if the river stops, so does all the wildlife within,’ the directing duo explains

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the project highlights that flowing water is essential to the very animation of ecosystems

 

project info:

 

 

name: Flow
directors: Tom & Matt

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom

The post flowing UK river becomes engine for handcrafted kinetic installation by tom & matt appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

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