Born in 1901 in New Zealand, Len Lye lived in Australia and England before relocating to the United States in 1944. Fascinated with motion dynamics, he created pioneering films such as A Colour Box (1935) and Free Radicals (1958) by painting and scratching directly onto film strips to animate abstract patterns of color and light. This technique set a new precedent in avant-garde cinema. From around 1960 onward, his exploration of movement extended beyond filmmaking to include kinetic sculpture; works like Bell Wand (1965) and the posthumously erected Wind Wand (1996), made of flexible fiberglass, are designed to vibrate and bend as external forces act on them.
Lye, who passed away in 1980 (the year Particles in Space was released), left a legacy affirming the generative potential of merging art and science, and his works continue to influence contemporary art and film.
Vibrations of the Pacific