David C. Roy
American sculptor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David C. Roy is a kinetic sculptor.[4][5] He has designed over 150 different moving sculptures and produced one-of-a-kind or limited edition instances of each: In total he has hand-built thousands of pieces.[6][7][8]
David C. Roy | |
|---|---|
David C. Roy, Kinetic Sculptor in 2006 | |
| Born | 1952 (age 73–74) |
| Education | Boston University |
| Known for | Spring-driven kinetic sculptures of wood |
| Notable work | Dimensions - capable of running 40 hours on a single wind[1] |
| Movement | Kinetic art |
| Spouse(s) | Marji Roy, 1974-present[2] |
| Relatives | Karen Rubin (daughter)[3] |
| Website | woodthatworks |
Education and career
Roy's father was an aeronautical engineer working on jet engines, and as a boy he was interested in invention and science. In 1974, Roy received a degree in physics from Boston University and then got a job as a computer programmer for an insurance company until becoming a sculptor in 1975.[9][10][11] The idea for the career direction came from his wife-to-be, Marji, who was at the time an art student in sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design.[10]
His sculptures, which are mainly made from laminated Baltic birch hardwood, are not timepieces but they do include clockwork-like mechanisms such as escapements, suspended weights, counter-weights, and (more recently) constant force springs.[1][12][13] They are not electrically powered because an important connection is that the viewer winds the piece by hand.[14] The run time of early models was about 30 minutes, but he has refined the technique to the point that some run up to 40 hours on a single full wind.[15] Many include the moving moiré pattern from co-axial spoked wheels rotating in opposite directions.[16] Roy focuses not only on the motion but also the sound. He has developed escapements that are either nearly silent or that produce the soft clicking of wood on wood.[17] A few incorporate wind chime tubes.[6] In the beginning he hand drew his schematics, but he has gradually migrated to computer-assisted design and animation.[18][19]
His studio is in Ashford, Connecticut.[2]
Reception
His work has been displayed since the late 1970s in science and art museums, in art galleries, and is in corporate and private collections around the world.[20] His work and life has been covered in publications including The New York Times,[21][22] Discover magazine,[23] the Hartford Courant,[24] and the Boston Globe.[25] Writing for the Baltimore Evening Sun, Carl Schoettler waxed poetically that "Echo ... looks like a spinning wheel for ghost tales at midnight. Serendipity ... might measure rainbows."[26] Bill Aller of the New York Times found them "intriguing."[22] A turning point in Roy's career was acceptance to exhibit at the Northeast Craft Fair in Rhinebeck, New York.[14] Reviewing this exhibit at the 1979 show, Nancy Pappas of the Hartford Courant was impressed with the sculptures' "silent, hypnotic motion."[27] In the Journal Inquirer Richard Tamling wrote about the "...constantly shifting relationships among shapes - as occurs in mobiles - as well as motion and sound[28] In InformArt Magazine, Tyler Chartier found the moving parts create "...wondrous patterns that spin, swirl, flutter, and undulate in the most entrancing ways."[29] Writing for American Woodturner Journal, Peter Rand observed that the motion in the pieces is "...intriguing in its sequence, which is infused with rhythm and evolves over time."[30]
Gallery
Inventor Released was the third kinetic sculpture from the beginning of his career in 1976. It was weight driven and reflects his goal to make sustained motion in a sculpture.
Dimensions is a spring-driven kinetic sculpture designed in 2015. A three-dimensional torus appears in the patterning wheels when the correct directions and speeds are reached.
Nautilus is a spring-driven kinetic sculpture designed in 2014. It features visually interesting complex and varied motion from a simple mechanism.
Solo is a spring-driven kinetic sculpture designed in 2014. The motion of flight has been a recurring theme in his work first appearing in 1988 in a sculpture called Flight.
Variation II Sun is a spring-driven kinetic sculpture designed in 2014. Roy has been inspired by kaleidoscopic patterning throughout his career.
