329 prepared dc-motors, cotton balls, toluene tank  | Zimoun 2013
Zimoun © | Courtesy Studio Zimoun

329 prepared dc-motors, cotton balls, toluene tank | Zimoun 2013

Studio Zimoun as Artists

«Using simple and functional components, Swiss artist Zimoun builds architecturally-minded platforms of sound. Exploring mechanical rhythm and flow in prepared systems, his installations incorporate commonplace industrial objects. In an obsessive display of simple and functional materials, these works articulate a tension between the orderly patterns of Modernism and the chaotic forces of life. Carrying an emotional depth, the acoustic hum of natural phenomena in Zimoun's minimalist constructions effortlessly reverberates.» bitforms nyc


«The sound sculptures and installations of Zimoun are graceful, mechanized works of playful poetry, their structural simplicity opens like an industrial bloom to reveal a complex and intricate series of relationships, an ongoing interplay between the «artificial» and the «organic». It‘s an artistic research of simple and elegant systems to generate and study complex behaviors in sound and motion. Zimoun creates sound pieces from basic components, often using multiples of the same prepared mechanical elements to examine the creation and degeneration of patterns.» Tim Beck


«Zimoun creates complex kinetic sound sculptures by arranging industrially produced parts according to seemingly simple rules. Using motors, wires, ventilators, etc.., he creates closed systems that develop their own behavior and rules similarly to artificial creatures. Once running, they are left to themselves and go through an indeterminable process of (de)generation. These quasi autonomous creatures exist in an absolutely synthetic sphere of lifeless matter. However, within the precise, determinist systems creative categorioes suddenly reappear, such as deviation, refusal and transcience out of which complex patterns of behavior evolve.» Node10


«The clean, elegant sound sculptures combine visual, sonic, and spatial elements in an organically balanced entirely artwork. Using simple and well conceived mechanical systems, Zimouns‘s work transforms and activates the space.» Jury Prix Ars Electronica 2010


«There's a poetic and humorous absurdity we find in Zimoun’s work, which opens up a wide, refreshing and enriching space for discoveries, associations and a multitude of approaches.» Nina Terry


«The components used in Zimoun’s work are simple, functional and raw, whereas only aesthetically high-level and purposefully chosen elements and materials are used in minimalist fashion. Through radical reduction, Zimoun creates works of art which allow for a plethora of associations without being pinned down to a specific direction. Radical abstraction functions rather like a code in the background of things, thus elegantly avoiding an insinuation of direct, concrete attribution. Thanks to the abundance of mechanical activity, the range of perception, possibilities and interpretations is wide open.» Amanda Neumann


Permanent installation:-


DC-motors, cotton balls, filler wires, power supply, lighting system, bench foundation, toluene tank (1951). Dimensions: 9.4m x 12.8m height / ⦰ 30.8 x 42 ft. Located in Dottikon, Switzerland.


Project Spotlight
Product Spotlight
News
Taktik Design revamps sunken garden oasis in Montreal college
23 Apr 2024 News
Taktik Design revamps sunken garden oasis in Montreal college

At the heart of Montreal’s Collège de Maisonneuve, Montreal-based Taktik Design has com... More

Carr’s “Coastal Compound” combines family beach house with the luxury of a boutique hotel
23 Apr 2024 News
Carr’s “Coastal Compound” combines family beach house with the luxury of a boutique hotel

Melbourne-based architecture and interior design studio Carr has completed a coastal residence embed... More

Barrisol Light brings the outdoors inside at Mr Green’s Office
22 Apr 2024 News
Barrisol Light brings the outdoors inside at Mr Green’s Office

French ceiling manufacturer Barrisol - Normalu SAS was included in Archello’s list of 25 best... More

Peter Pichler, Rosalba Rojas Chávez, Lourenço Gimenes and Raissa Furlan join Archello Awards 2024 jury
22 Apr 2024 Archello Awards
Peter Pichler, Rosalba Rojas Chávez, Lourenço Gimenes and Raissa Furlan join Archello Awards 2024 jury

Peter Pichler, Rosalba Rojas Chávez, Lourenço Gimenes and Raissa Furlan have been anno... More

25 best decorative glass manufacturers
22 Apr 2024 Specification
25 best decorative glass manufacturers

By incorporating decorative glass in projects, such as stained or textured glass windows, frosted gl... More

Introducing Partner Geopietra
19 Apr 2024 Partner News
Introducing Partner Geopietra

Geopietra® is an international brand and an Italian company founded in 1996, specialized in the... More

Shigeru Ban’s Paper Log House at Philip Johnson’s Glass House
18 Apr 2024 News
Shigeru Ban’s Paper Log House at Philip Johnson’s Glass House

In New Canaan, Connecticut, Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House has opened as part of the 75th annivers... More

10 commercial buildings that benefit from planted facades
18 Apr 2024 Specification
10 commercial buildings that benefit from planted facades

The integration of nature into architecture marks a proactive urban response to the climate emergenc... More