STATEMENT

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"The Kinetic Study Series included in the exhibit “Ten” are newly created hand-activated sculptures. They’re inspired by my larger scaled outdoor wind-driven kinetic work and build upon my interest in geometric form, space, illusion and movement. The hand activated aspect of this series gave me an opportunity to explore movement irregularities and the threshold of balance points. My attention focused on using two points of rotation, a pendulum, angles and balance to create a variety of movement possibilities. The pendulum movement causes unpredictable and off-balance motions within each piece. Momentum due to the pendulum, creates the chance of interference, including cancellation and/or amplification of the rotating motions. Through trial and error, I worked to find each piece’s idiosyncrasy."

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MORE ABOUT MOTO

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Moto Ohtake views kinetic sculpture as a way in to explore the mechanics and engineering of forms in motion. His hand-activated indoor works are playful kinetic pieces which manifest energy and vitality.  Moto‘s outdoor kinetic work interacts with the wind and becomes an extension of our natural environment.  Each piece responds unpredictably to the wind to create an infinite number of variations of movement.

Moto is a native of Tokyo, Japan. He graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute with an MFA degree in Sculpture in 1982 and moved to Santa Cruz in 1985. Locally, Moto taught three-dimensional design at U.C.S.C. and Cabrillo College. He retired from a full time teaching position at De Anza College, in Cupertino in 2019, where he taught sculpture, three-dimensional design and furniture design.

Moto’s work is included in many private collections. His sculptures and public art projects are on display at the Sonoma County Museum Sculpture Garden, Santa Rosa, 4th & Brannon Streets and Fulton Playground in San Francisco, the Stockton Marina, The Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Kojimachi Gakuen High School in Tokyo, Japan, Q-House in Dublin, Ireland and installations at The Tannery, Aptos Center Shopping Mall and Westlake Elementary School in Santa Cruz,