Artists

“Light is the closest we come to directly sensing the universal energy. The chance interplay of form and color can inspire awe and wonder. In the past, I divided my time between kinetic art and stage work. My stage lighting focused on electro-acoustic music culminating in a series of concerts in the mid 80's with the Electric Symphony Orchestra. These spectacular concerts were a carte blanche for me to expand my stage designs. The light shows created for these events were charged with the energy of rock music, but still maintained a distinct sobriety. I wanted to free myself from the restrictions of being under the control of a director so I decided to focus on kinetic art: a subject in which I could bring together my divided background and combine my knowledge of physics with my love of light. In 1983, at London's ICA, I exhibited the first sculptures to use chromastrobic light, a discovery I had made the previous year. Chromastrobic light changes color faster than the eye can see, causing the appearance of rapidly moving forms to mutate in the most remarkable ways." Paul Friedlander

"String Theory II " in the Discovery Center at the Anchorage Museum in 2010

We knew we wanted to have Paul build a piece for us at Anchorage when we first saw the long, narrow and very tall gallery space. Our designer, Moe Soloman, worked closely with Paul while designing the "salad bowl" base and support structure for the projector and motors, ensuring that the full sculpture would be visible while maintaining visitor safety.

Details of "String Theory II " at the Anchorage Museum in 2010

"String Theory "installed at phaeno in Wolfsburg, Germany 2005

Zaha Hadid had designed an acute corner into phaeno’s north-west corner and AAI had to devise or find: 1) a strong  vertical “attractor” and 2) an exhibition element that would use six meters of height and about 3 square meters of floor space--Paul Friedlander’s String Theory was the solution.  The photos below show the variety of colors and forms the artwork presents.

"String Theory "installed at phaeno in Wolfsburg, Germany 2005

All photos © Ansel Associates, Inc. 2000-2025

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