As a student in the 1970s I had an interest in the 1960s optical kinetic work of the Zero group in Germany and the South American artists of Group Researche D’arte Visuel in Paris. Artists who believed they could communicate without an institutional or political context.

I have always communicated directly and intuitively. The binding reason to be of a piece is usually a comparative relationship between elements.  A purposeful physical concept like a tension, a muscle or a machine. Ultimately this was about relative judgements and this theme has persisted throughout my work over the years.

The early work was kinetic with an interest in shadow, reflection, colour, sun and air movement. Later I added attractive and repulsive independently magnetised elements in suspended arrays. Later electric motors, electromagnetic pulse mechanisms with micro controllers and then LEDs.

The reason to be of a piece was an investigation into the physical relationship between its elements. The physical constraint intrinsic in the materials, the necessity for a heat dissipating device, the integration of an insulated electrical circuit or the optimality of weight, balance and the refinement of structure

For a while I was concerned with depth differentiation and twilight perception, specifically an exploration of the Purkinje Shift, a perceptual anomaly that occurs at dusk.

My working process begins with a neurotic creative phase that resolves into a concept, a sort of renewal. The art is the reason for making a piece. It’s a sort of deep engine that is always there. What “the art” is, is like an answer when you don’t know the question. It resolves for a moment the tension between, aspiration, creative isolation, reality and the means to make it. It resolves into a leap, a sort of “why not just make it”.

It requires the consideration of balance, weight, structure, tension and movement which relates to a long interest in physical movement stemming from the practice martial arts for over fifty years. Slow tense and fast relaxed movements each with an urgent constant sense of balance. Of breathing and the harmony with surrounding space. The feeling of controlling nearby space. The retreating and intruding into space. The sensation of cold air, the breeze, a sunrise and a strong foundation that builds up from contact with the ground.
Artists in their work externalise something of themselves and I believe I do this with my work to varying degrees. Art practice is a continuing evolution and there is never a final absolute moment. There are high points, disasters, mistakes and dead ends, but never a finality.

My recent 3D work has been constrained by space. I made light pieces and paintings. The light pieces were modular, flexible in scale and orientation and can be independent of location with portable power sources. I made work that I critique and can be fascinated by each day. The pieces that survive exist as comparative experiences. Colour was the most important element and my use of it stemmed from my earliest study at art school. My paintings in recent years recall past themes of differential depth.

My current sprung powered kinetic artworks evolved from wall mounted sprung colour light pieces dating from 2020. They are programmed using artificial intelligence. They have micro controllers, drivers, and motors combined with highly sensitive sprung suspended elements. They have continuous programs with changeable moods. The moods display natural emotional references. For example a curious creature moving cautiously, nervously or aggressively. The movements are never random but have intention, awareness and coordination. The long resonance of these sprung structures is incorporated into the programs. In engineering terms they are compliant mechanical systems. Elastic energy storage, aerodynamic interaction, and delayed feedback inform the behavior. Motion emerges from resonance, coupling and response rather than direct mechanical control. This work is ongoing.

My work is held internationally in many private collections.

Andrew Ryder (Updated May 2026)