'Parallel Strata', a kinetic light and sound installation by Nicky Assmann and Joris Strijbos, consists of an audiovisual composition for multiple towering kinetic light sculptures. It is based on the concept of rotating stroboscopic light and shadowplay, connected to the position of the spectator. The shadowplay emerges from the rotating lights and stroboscopic effects, unveiling a parallel strata. Assmann and Strijbos focus on combining these techniques in a linear spatial composition for the five machines, resulting in mechanically moving creatures of light and sound through which the audience can wander.
The collaborative works of Rotterdam-based artists Assmann and Strijbos are the result of empirical, ongoing research in the fields of kinetic art, expanded cinema, and experiments in perception.
In their installation series such as 'Moiré Studies', 'Fading Shadows' and 'Parallel Strata', they develop multi-sensory machines that invoke visual distortion and play with the senses through kinetic light sculptures. Their work emphasizes synaesthetic relationships between light, sound, space, time, and motion. Acting as instruments for light and sound compositions, these pieces can be seen as a form of visual music and expanded cinema, experimenting with different elements of the cinematic apparatus. Assmann and Strijbos construct their own light projectors and screens from diverse materials, creating compositions for light, sound, and kinetic sequences. These abstract cinematic interventions evolve through time and space, directly influencing the senses.
