Howard Sandroff

My work is driven by an overall obsession to construct static artifacts that imply motion. In my musical compositions, the obsession manifests itself as turning musical time into a static aural image. As a composer, I always envied sculptors because their image is fixed in time, thereby allowing the audience to experience the sculpture’s evolving form by moving around the three-dimensional work. Viewing sculpture this way is, to my mind, analogous to “proceeding through time”, as we listen to a musical composition from beginning to end.

Now that I sculpt, the obsession becomes transposed to imply movement from the static image. Of course, these mirrored notions; making motion stand still and static image imply motion is a paradox, a dilemma, which suggests no rational solution. I believe that within that improbable space is the opportunity for artistic expression. To seek a solution, I have turned to building kinetic sculpture. My first attempt is, “Corps de Ballet” which grows out of my work with static forms in steel. For me, the greatest challenge, when creating this kind of kinetic art, is how to engage the engineering/science/math of the mechanism so that it the goal of successful mechanized movement does not obscure or overshadow the aesthetic statement. Naming a work is always a problem for me since I never intend to express something that exists in the physical universe; rather I play with abstract objects and their spatial and/or temporal relationship to each other. Sometimes, the finished work reminds me of something that actually exists, so I adopt that name and apply it to the work. The name always precedes the piece.

. What role does the artist play in society?

The question what role does ART play in society is more to the point. Art, for most of us is a sort of symbolic language. As such it fulfills (or doesn’t) fulfill many different rolls vis a vis the construct of society. Art draws its essence from the artist and to some degree from all that view/hear it. The range of abstract to concrete is so great that discussing all art with the same breath is difficult or impossible. For myself I prefer to think of art as a distorted reflection of the images of life. Sort of like “fun house” mirrors, which push, pull, twist, expand and compress the. Image of what is reflective. The distortion is perhaps authored by the artist and informed by the audience.

3. Do you have an idealized or dream project? If so, explain.

I made the progression from Music Composition to sculpting static images in steel to plastic, moving and dynamic images. My idealized piece is an entirely plastic construction that not only moves but is capable of constantly shifting dynamic shape that responds to the “vibe” of the viewer. There is presently no material that meets my requirement and no kind of sensor that would sense and transmit the viewer’s “vibe”. So I guess I will have to wait till these technologies become available. In the mean time I will continue to master the exploitation of the fourth dimension into my three dimensional works.

4. How does your eye move through the sculpture?

The sculpture does it for you.

5. If the sculpture could talk what would it say?

All this spinning around is making me dizzy.

6. What do you think is unique about your artistic process?

The obsession to make something that moves through time (Music) stand still. And something that is static, move.