#useless machines

[prokopetz]

Half of the pointless machine fandom is like “this is a metaphor for the futility of capitalism”, and the other half is just “I enjoy annoying people on purpose”.

[ive-lost-track-of-all-my-stuff]

inspired by chapter nine of a quiet heart, sketch sort of spiralled…

[panthirina]

Bronx Museum of Arts

[softrobotcritics]

Bruno Munari justifies useless machines

What are unnecessary machines and why

Let's first agree on the function of useless machines: that they are machines there is no doubt, given that the lever is a machine, commonly called "that piece of iron there". The adjective "useless" remains to be clarified: useless because they do not manufacture, they do not eliminate manpower, they do not save time and money, they do not produce anything marketable.

They are nothing more than colored movable objects, specially designed to obtain some specific variety of combinations, movements, shapes and colors. Objects to look at as you look at a drifting group of clouds after being stuck seven hours inside a workshop of useful machines.

The first useless machines were more complicated and with halting, perturbed movements, while the latter, simplified, find their engine in natural phenomena, such as air movements, changes in temperature, humidity, light and shadow, etc., assuming the aspect of one's life comparable to the movement of the grasses of a field, to the changing of the clouds, to the rolling of a stone in a stream. There can be very slow or very fast machines, with infinite variety of movements, garden machines, from home, hanging from the ceiling, floating in a pond, table, terrace and perhaps pocket-sized. The important thing is that they are absolutely useless.

The no. 21 is a tall neutral gray iron and wood garden machine; a red sphere, located at the end of one of the three supporting legs, has behind it a mobile part with coupled white and black elements, which, driven by the wind, turn more or less quickly forming a changing background of grays for the aforementioned red sphere. In the evening a slight white light illuminates this part.

The machine no. 19 is for the home and should be hung on a smooth, light green ceiling which forms the background. Three elements of different shapes and colors rotate slowly around a golden glass sphere immobile in the center. Irregular planetary movement.

The RGA9 is a garden machine, in white concrete and aluminum, with forced air flow movement. In the evening the phosphorescent platform lights up the machine. Height three meters.

And what is Calder's "mobile" (this is American; Calder was an animated film designer, now a builder of useless machines that he calls "my furniture")? An iron machine, where two differently colored spheres move according to an obligatory trajectory, limited movement using gravity.

The machine n. 23 is floating with slight movements of a black rudder around the white and red complex of the mast and tie rods. Height from one to seven meters.

And here is a small useless table machine with internal movement of a fast turbine with black and white blades. The plastic part is obtained from one of those gourds that are used by certain farmers to contain water, the mobile part and the legs are in painted wood. (No. 11).

The F-1 machine is for the terrace, in painted wood, with mobile elements activated by the wind or rain. It hangs on overlapping elements (n. 24). The mobile shapes are colored differently, for example: gray on one side and white and red stripes on the other, or white and black, yellow and black, shaded, etc. The elongated type characteristic of this machine allows movements in the opposite direction by penetrating a layer of air with multiple currents.

The F-3 machine is also for the terrace with a pendular movement.

The F-4 machine is for the garden, with multiple movements: a steel wire twisted to a rod sets in motion a plastic shape; this turning creates air movements that activate another shape fixed in a frame.

In useless machines, each piece must have its logical function both in relation to movement and to the artistic sense of proportion, color and shape; and the whole assembly must be the harmonic fusion of plastic, paint and motion. Plastic intended as a geometric shape: exact balance of shapes, spaces, volumes; light and dark. Painting intended as color: exact balance of colors, (a curve color has a different value than a flat color). Pure motion: rhythm, sense of motion; (ie: a person who walks and one who dances; useful motion and useless motion) the motion of a useless machine must be the heart of the building, the vital point.

A useless machine that represents absolutely nothing is the ideal device thanks to which we can safely revive our fantasy, daily afflicted by useful machines.

MUNARI

Che cosa sono le macchine inutili e perché

Mettiamoci prima d’accordo sulla funzione delle macchine inutili: che siano macchine non c’è dubbio, dato che è una macchina la leva, volgarmente detta “quel pezzo di ferro lì”. Resta da chiarire l’aggettivo “inutile”: inutili perché non fabbricano, non eliminano manodopera, non fanno economizzare tempo e denaro, non producono niente di commerciabile.

Non sono altro che oggetti mobili colorati, appositamente studiati per ottenere quella determinata varietà di accostamenti, di movimenti, di forme e di colori. Oggetti da guardare come si guarda un complesso mobile di nubi dopo essere stati sette ore nell’interno di un’officina di macchine utili.

Le prime macchine inutili erano più complicate e con movimenti limitati o perturbatori, mentre queste ultime, semplificate, trovano il loro motore nei fenomeni naturali, come spostamenti d’aria, sbalzi di temperatura, umidità, luce e ombra, ecc., assumendo l’aspetto di vita propria paragonabile al movimento delle erbe di un campo, al mutare delle nuvole, al rotolare di un sasso in un ruscello. Vi possono essere macchine lentissime o velocissime, con infinita varietà di movimenti, macchine da giardino, da casa, appese al soffitto, galleggianti in un laghetto, da tavolo, da terrazza e forse tascabili. L’importante è che siano assolutamente inutili.

La n. 21 è una altissima macchina da giardino, in ferro e legno, di colore grigio neutro; una sfera rossa, situata all’estremità di una delle tre gambe di sostegno, ha dietro di sé una parte mobile a elementi bianchi e neri, accoppiati, i quali, sospinti dal vento, girano più o meno velocemente formando uno sfondo mutevole di grigi alla suddetta sfera rossa. Di sera una lieve luce bianca illumina questa parte.

La macchina n. 19 è da casa e va appesa ad un soffitto liscio, verde chiaro, che fa da sfondo. Tre elementi di diversa forma e colore girano con moto lento attorno ad una sfera di vetro dorato immobile al centro. Movimento planetario irregolare.

La RGA9 è una macchina da giardino, in cemento bianco e alluminio, con movimento a corrente d’aria obbligata. Di sera la piattaforma fosforescente illumina la macchina. Altezza tre metri.

E che cos’è “un mobile” di Calder (questa è americana; Calder era un disegnatore di film animati, ora costruttore di macchine inutili che definisce “i miei mobili”)? Una macchina in ferro, dove due sfere diversamente colorate si muovono secondo una traiettoria obbligata, movimento limitato utilizzando la forza di gravità.

La macchina n. 23 è galleggiante con leggeri movimenti di un timone nero attorno al complesso bianco e rosso dell’alberatura e dei tiranti. Altezza da uno a sette metri.

Ed ecco una piccola macchina inutile da tavolo con movimento interno di una veloce turbina a pale bianche e nere. La parte plastica è ricavata da una di quelle zucche che servono a certi contadini per conservare l’acqua, la parte mobile e le gambe sono in legno verniciato. (N. 11).

La macchina F-1 è da terrazza, in legno verniciato, con elementi mobili azionati dal vento o dalla pioggia. E’ appesa a elementi sovrapposti (n. 24). Le forme mobili sono colorate diversamente, per esempio: grigie da un lato e a righe bianche e rosse dall’altro, oppure bianche e nere, gialle e nere, sfumate, ecc. Il tipo allungato caratteristico di questa macchina permette movimenti in senso contrario penetrando in uno strato d’aria a più correnti.

La macchina F-3 è anch’essa da terrazza, a movimento pendolare.

La macchina F-4 è da giardino, a più movimenti: un filo d’acciaio attorcigliato ad un asta mette in moto una forma plastica; questa girando crea degli spostamenti d’aria che azionano un'altra forma fissata in un telaio.

Nelle macchine inutili ogni pezzo deve avere la sua funzione logica tanto in rapporto al movimento quanto al senso artistico di proporzione, di colore e di forma; e tutto l’assieme deve essere l’armonica fusione plastica, pittura e moto. Plastica intesa come forma geometrica: esatto equilibrio di forme, di spazi, di volumi; chiaro e scuro. Pittura intesa come colore: esatto equilibrio di colori, (un colore in curva ha un valore diverso di un colore piano). Moto allo stato puro: ritmo, senso del moto; (cioè: una persona che cammina e una che danza; moto utile e moto inutile) il moto di una macchina inutile deve essere il cuore della costruzione, il punto vitale.

Una macchina inutile che non rappresenti assolutamente nulla è il congegno ideale grazie a cui possiamo tranquillamente far rinascere la nostra fantasia, quotidianamente afflitta dalle macchine utili.

MUNARI

[wonderalisson]

Bruno Munari’s Useless machines

     Bruno Munari’s Useless machines is one of important works of the artist. It was Munari’s debut in Italian futurism exhibition. Macchina Inutile/Useless Machine (1951-1993) was made from wooden sticks, thick cardboard, blown glass sphere and silk thread. This work was originally made in 1951 and was replicates in 1993. The cardboard pieces of the kinetic sculpture painted with both side in contrast colors. All pieces have different shape, different position in the sculpture and different color.

     Useless Machine is a kinetic art piece, which consist from several geometric shapes connected with thread. It could be percept as children’s mobile toy due to its light gentle piece reacting to every movement of air. «I cut out these shapes […] and I painted the other side (the one that is never seen in paintings) in a different way so that they present a variety of combinations when rotating in the air», Bruno Munari (1966). All geometric pieces were painted from both sides. One piece has difficult geometric shape, which consist from six triangles painted in complimentary colors. The other side of this geometric figure has only black and white colors. This creates illusion that one work could be changed completely in once.

     This artwork usually exhibited with the mirror to show how it differentiates from different angles. This is full value 3D sculpture with has so many different looks also because of moving process. Every time when wind blow or temperature if changing this artwork react immediately. This could lead to thousand different combination of one sculpture. Another interesting of this sculpture is the shadows that it creates under direct light. These shadows are also can move followed by artwork in time create different abstract combinations.

     Ability to move, change the form and the position affected by air movement or temperature change is distinguish kinetic sculpture. This artwork as Munari explain, «find their engine in natural phenomena such as a change in airflow, temperature changes, humidity, light and shadow etc., taking on the aspect of a life of their own that can be compared to the motion of grass in a field, the transformation of the clouds or the way a stone spins around in a stream.»  This sculpture can move perpetual from viewers movement, from heat of lamp creating direct light.

     Useless Machine has not an obvious utilitarian function, unless Munari claims that it represents his childhood memories of hanging swings and the strips of paper, with which he played throwing them from the window. The look of this artwork creates a feeling of something simple and clear, as a strong connection with childhood.

     Bruno Munari was one of the first in Europe who made kinetic art, which was in trend in 50’s and 60’s. Munari created several of Useless Machine differentiate by their look experimenting with forms and movement. This was new to see the abstract art, observing it not as regular and classic 2D painting. Movement in time and space, lack of one similar look could create difficulties in observation sculpture from photograph. Useless Machine make its best appearance in the exhibition.

[uselessmachines]

[chellingly-blog]

[onetywon]

Brilliant piece of propaganda.

Cooper: You don’t believe we went to the Moon?

Ms. Kelly: I believe it was a brilliant piece of propaganda, that the Soviets bankrupted themselves pouring resources into rockets and other useless machines…

Cooper: Useless machines?

Ms. Kelly: And if we don’t want a repeat of the excess and wastefulness of the 20th Century then we need to teach our kids about this planet, not tales of leaving it.

Cooper: You know, one of those useless machines they used to make was called an MRI, and if we had one of those left the doctors would have been able to find the cyst in my wife’s brain, before she died instead of afterwards, and then she would’ve been the one sitting here, listening to this instead of me which would’ve been a good thing because she was always the… calmer one.