ABSTRACT
The temporal arts Kinetic art is manifest in a rich variety of ways from fl oating mobiles to thumping mechanics, each sharing a common focus, an aesthetic of movement. For architecture the current motivation for kinetic facades tends to be utilitarian, but the instinct that drives this enquiry is the potential for poetic composition. The previous chapters have identifi ed designers and theorists developing the ways and means to realize kinetics. However, despite the promise of the technology, there is minimal discussion of the compositional opportunity afforded by kinetics. Architectural facades are typically functionally orientated, for example to provide shade, ventilate a space or communicate information. Yet, regardless of purpose, the capacity for movement presents an opportunity. Those examples where composition has being explored are, given the infancy of practice, tentative. The previous chapter concluded with some promising ideas of how to conceive design variables. What might be achieved by manipulating such parameters – can the legacy of kinetic art provide an agenda for architectural facades?
