Before Elysium (Time Will Tell) (2023) Sculpture by Kristopher Lionel
Seller Kristopher Lionel
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Original Artwork (One Of A Kind)
Sculpture,
Wood
- Dimensions Height 89in, Width 24.3in
- Artwork's condition The artwork is in perfect condition
- Fit for outdoor? No, This artwork can not be displayed outdoor
- Categories Conceptual Art
'beFOR ELYSium' (Für Elise) = The title references the tune.
'Before Elysium' is an interactive, sound generating, mechanical sculpture that employs music box combs and cylinders to play Beethoven's 'Für Elise' simultaneously at several times faster than normal, backwards, and at normal speed. The piece also generates a tinkling sound that references rain and waves using a form inspired by rain-sticks which are traditional instruments thought to have originated in Chile.
I've had the idea to make a rain machine bouncing around in my head for many years. I was thinking about the cyclical nature of machines and how they create rhythm, I was thinking about how structured noise becomes music. The sound of pouring rain set to a rhythm becomes the sound of ocean waves, the sound of a few raindrops are like individual notes of music. I've always loved 'Für Elise', it's most recognizable run of notes always makes me think of rain turning into music so I decided to integrate it into my machine. 'Before Elysium', inspired by the sound of rain, of waves, and the noise inside seashells, is the first of what will be an ambitious endeavor to create twenty-four related sculptures intended to be shown together in an exhibition titled 'Time Will Tell'.
The cyclical nature of the machine and the experience of a passing moment while interacting with (becoming a part of) the piece brings time into focus. As I thought about how time informed the work, I began to imagine a huge span of time reaching back before Elysium. In that distant time, people listened to the sound of rain and the rhythm of waves. In that time there was music and all the notes to 'Für Elise' existed but had yet to given the shape of the tune we now know. Reconstructing/deconstructing the notes is my way of blurring the lines between the rain/waves and music, it's an attempt to turn those most famous of notes into rain or vice versa. This piece is the first of twenty-four sound machines in a series called 'Time Will Tell'.
Related themes
SculptureInteractive SculptureMechanical SculptureSound SculptureRain Machine
Kristopher is a contemporary American artist whose work, which includes paintings, wall art, and sculpture, has been widely exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout New England and are included in both private and public collections. In April 2022, Kristopher was invited to join the Silvermine Guild of Artists in New Canaan CT. His work has received numerous awards including: 2022 - Honorable Mention in Light Space Time Gallery's 13th Abstracts Art Exhibition (United States). 2022 - Finalist in Art Show International Gallery's 4th PORTRAIT Art Competition (international). 2021 - 1st Place, Overall. Light Space Time Gallery's 5th Annual Abstracts Art Exhibition (United States). 2021 - 1st Place, Paint & Other Media. Light Space Time Gallery's 5th Annual Abstracts Art Exhibition (United States). 2021 - Honorable Mention, Light Space Time Gallery's 12th Abstracts Art Exhibition (United States).
Kristopher attended the art program at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, where he received his BFA with a concentration in sculpture (graduating cum laude and being awarded Departmental Distinction in Art). He then enrolled in the postgraduate sculpture program at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, where he received his MFA. In school, Kristopher developed his interest and skills in wood and metalworking. After graduating, he moved to Atlanta, GA, where he worked as a metal fabricator. Applying this experience, Kristopher moved to his home state of Connecticut to launch a business designing and making artistic furniture. He ran his business until 2009 when he decided to close his furniture shop to focus singularly on his life's purpose—to make art.
Kristopher's artistic focus shifts between several series that include, interactive sculpture, wall sculpture, abstract painting, and allegorical painting, all conceptually connected by themes directly and indirectly related to or inspired by Nature. Through an ongoing series of allegorical paintings, using symbolism and satire, Kristopher explores themes of environmental degradation brought on by human activity. He examines the consequences of our relationship to the natural world where we have placed ourselves above and outside of Nature as apposed to intrinsically connected to it.
In his abstract painting and wall sculpture, he uses color, shape, line, material, and composition, expressively to create evocative, visually immersive works.
Currently, Kristopher is focused on the development of a sculpture series titled, 'Time Will Tell', which will ultimately include twenty-four, interactive, sound-generating, mechanical sculptures. Individually, the sculptures will vary in scale and material but they will all generate the sound of rain. The sculptures in the series 'Time Will Tell' raise questions about technology, utility, purpose, and our relationship to Nature.
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Nationality:
UNITED STATES
- Date of birth : 1971
- Artistic domains:
- Groups: Contemporary American Artists
