C6 - New Kinetic Work

The movement of line through space is the motivating force behind the work of sculptor Ray Haydon. His works are rhythmic, improvisational and free, expressing a sense of effortlessness and vitality that belies the rigorous process of their making, and their often immense physical presence.  New kinetic work in carbon fibre presented in C6 – which borrows its title from the chemical symbol for carbon – demonstrates Haydon’s intuitive response to space and his notable commitment to development and experimentation within his practice.

Haydon’s ongoing exploration of sculpture has seen him produce increasingly innovative work as a result of his unwillingness to compromise artistic vision for the sake of convenience.  Haydon investigates and pioneers new materials, forms and methods, employing a vast repository of technical skills gained through decades of work in various areas of industrial design. This background provides him with the expertise to produce entirely new methods of fabrication; developing new machines and techniques to enable him to produce his work exactly as he imagines it.

The time and energy devoted to investigating the engineering required to make his pieces successful is contra to the intuitive and spontaneous approach that Haydon employs in the creation of visual forms.  Haydon rarely uses process sketches, working directly with his chosen medium and piecing together forms in response to imagined shapes and compositions.  His mastery of technical processes – anticipating ahead of time any engineering concerns – allows for a free-flow of ideas; Haydon’s forms are distinctively lively and spontaneous.  These pieces retain a lyricism and freedom of line that belie the emphasis on technical process and exactitude which go into their making.  

With substantial experience in creating innovative sculpture in steel and wood, Haydon was drawn to the possibilities presented by the extremely light and durable medium of carbon fibre.  Possessing a unique strength-to-weight ratio, these works in carbon fibre respond to subtle wind variations far more receptively than works in other, heavier, mediums.  This increased sensitivity to external movement has led Haydon to employ multiple pivot-points, which allow for the creation of increasingly complex and ever-changing forms; animated organically by their shifting environment.  Works such as Pyxis and Hydra reveal constantly changing and almost infinite forms; they act as organic entities in space, operating on a number of aesthetic and physical levels that creates a dynamic relationship between the sculpture, the space and the viewer.

Thus, the natural environment provides a key influence for Haydon in the development of his forms; this is evident in both his kinetic work and, less directly, with his static sculpture.  C6 includes new work in mahogany and copper, other facets of Haydon’s ever-growing practice.  The idea of motion and transformation is evident in these works, which, though constant, possess a similar sense of movement as his kinetic work.  Whether spiralling rings of mahogany or coiling strips of stainless steel or copper, these pieces draw the eye along a rhythmic path with no fixed start or end point, establishing a sense of momentum that constantly engages and mystifies the viewer.

C6 reveals Haydon’s primary interest in the evocative properties of line in three-dimensional sculpture, explored and re-explored throughout his career of constant experimentation. His dedication to the physical engineering of his concepts continues to allow him to consistently create innovative, rhythmic works that enliven, rather than overpower, space.