You would never think -in your wildest dreams- that mechanics (gears, hypocycloid reducers, cams, linkages) can appear so elegant and beautiful. A creation of the artist Derek Hugger called Colibri, is a final result of 700 work hours which started by a simple lunch break question to a friend “What if I made a sculpture of a hummingbird flying in slow motion?” said Derek when he had no idea how to accomplish that, but turned out to be a magnificent work of art.
He described his work in four lines.
Intriguing Mechanisms.
Arousing my curiosity those mechanics, it creates a graceful motion of the bird nearing and departing the flower.
Intricate Motion.
I see a beautiful visual sequence composed by the flap of the birds’ wings, the movement of the body all in harmony creating a life-like scenery.
Organic Forms.
Though every element of the kinetic sculpture was mechanized, the use of curved lines and less straight lines helped creating a natural organic shape from a machine.
Driven By Nature.
You can see clearly that this work wasn’t made by chance, its like the same scene from nature being slowed down in three dimensional form.
When you see this sculpture in motion you can’t help but feel the soothing vibe it radiates, so many details in each part of the 400 piece sculpture you wouldn’t know where to look. Wherever you decide to look all you will see is flowing wooden splines and curves that flex and bend into each other creating a slow picture of nature, simulating every detail in a shot of a hummingbird magic in the air.
By Yosra AbdelRahman
