Reuleaux mechanisms
The Reuleaux Kinematic Mechanisms collection immediately caught my eye. Before knowing anything about the collection, the machines, or their function there was a beauty within the machines that was intriguing. The shapes and their motion were extremely graceful and fluid, the colors chosen and patterns used to create each machine seemed oddly deliberate and artful. Within the descriptions of each machine and their function is a poetic human quality. The language used to describe them is sensual and feels somewhat existential when removed from the context of machinery.
Another compelling quality to the machines is that they have no direct function within a bigger machine or system; they are solely demonstrative which I believe is what leads to them being able to transcend the context of machinery and become existential beings. I wanted to become each machine and feel how they move. Upon researching more about each function, I started to find more mathematical descriptions of them including the orbital patterns that some of the gears create. I feel that the mark making of the movements is important to include in illuminating these machines.
My goal is to choreograph a very deliberate and fluid performance/dance that mirrors the machines and their movement and ‘personalities.’ I want to illuminate the language around them by reading aloud the descriptions with poetic intonation and laying it over the performance.
