Atelier FAAR, Hertstraat 4, Deurne.
Everything that Moves was a group exhibition which took place in February 2023 at Atelier FAAR in Deurne.
The small room immediately on our right gave us the first surprise of the evening: a small, very narrow space showcasing three maquettes for Torque mechanism. Would these models succeed at giving us a truthful taste of what the actual installation looks like? Judging from the finesse of the maquettes along with their subtle sense of humor, our expectations were high on the artists Guy Batten (b. 1999, England) and Niels van Looveren (b. 2002, Antwerp). We crossed the room and went up a small staircase. A much smaller yet equally imposing room boasted the site-specific installation by Batten and van Looveren, Torque mechanism. Powered by a loud motor perched on top of a metal grid, many chains carried each the weight of a stone that could move no further than what both the grid and the motor allowed. The room was filled with a loud noise but the overall feeling of the artwork expressed poise for there was a clear equilibrium in the way the stones moved without ever interfering with each other’s paths. The three maquettes that we had admired in the first room suddenly made entire sense. In awe I watched the stones move and felt the urge to return to the maquette room in order to seize the secret of this mechanism. The round
Diana Murray Watts
skylight seems to complete the experience for the viewer: if human beings are able to control the world around them, are there truly other planets where other wonders that lay abound? Alexander Calder had managed to tame geometric shapes to create calming compositions. In contrast, Batten and van Looveren had gone off to unbridle
the strength of concrete. I spoke to the artists shortly after my visit to this room. “The starting point of our works is always a mechanism of movement. We want to demonstrate the power
and potential of industrial components that are often left out of sight,” they explained.
Torque Mechanism
A kinetic installation by Guy Batten and Niels Van Looveren
