Len Lye Flip and Two Twisters (Trilogy) 1977, 2016.
Len Lye Flip and Two Twisters (Trilogy) 1977, 2016.
Suspended from the ceiling, a large loop (Flip) and two long strips of stainless steel (Twisters) are spun and contorted into a motorised dance. Tension builds in the flexing steel, followed by sudden whiplash stops. The thunderous crash of Trilogy reverberates around the gallery, a sound described by Lye as like ‘icicles tumbling down your back’.
Described in Lye’s day as inducing terror in the audience, Trilogy is one of Lye’s masterpieces. A sculptural counterpart to the cinematic thrill of his film Free Radicals (1958), Trilogy holds a special place in the heart of the Govett-Brewster, built for the 1977 exhibition Kinetic Works – the first exhibition of Lye’s work in his homeland – and a historic part of the Govett-Brewster’s collection ever since.
Flip and Two Twisters (Trilogy) is the second in a series of exhibitions presented in the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery/Len Lye Centre’s Large Works gallery that explore Len Lye’s large scale kinetic sculpture
Len Lye Flip and Two Twisters (Trilogy) 1977, 2016 at the Len Lye Centre. Govett-Brewster Collection. Video Bryan James