"We want to make people pause and find stillness - even if it's only for a few minutes."
Art, design and technology merge in delicate visions of beauty.
For DRIFT, technology is a form of nature, and nature is a technology. This idea is at the heart of all their projects – which come in many different forms. Sculpture, installation and performance all feature. The duo also collaborate with universities, scientists and programme developers. Flylight (2015) is a prime example of their work. The installation is based on the behaviour of starlings who warn off predators by closing in on them. To mimic this, DRIFT wrote an algorithm for a huge cluster of hanging glass tubes with lights in them. The algorithm changes their movement and brightness de...
For DRIFT, technology is a form of nature, and nature is a technology. This idea is at the heart of all their projects – which come in many different forms. Sculpture, installation and performance all feature. The duo also collaborate with universities, scientists and programme developers. Flylight (2015) is a prime example of their work. The installation is based on the behaviour of starlings who warn off predators by closing in on them. To mimic this, DRIFT wrote an algorithm for a huge cluster of hanging glass tubes with lights in them. The algorithm changes their movement and brightness depending on where the viewer stands. The viewer becomes the predator. The glass flock dominates the space.
DRIFT see art as a way to imagine the future. Drifter (2017) is a huge cube of concrete that floats in the air. The sculpture was inspired by 16th century book, Utopia, by philosopher Thomas More. The book describes a magical building material that's incredibly strong and water-resistant. In the 19th century, concrete was invented. It went on to become the main material of cities across the globe. For DRIFT, this shows how the impossible can be made possible. It motivates them to work at the cross-section of art, science and invention. And, in a world where technology is patented for profit, DRIFT are more keen than ever to develop it – creatively.
Bio
Lonneke Gordijn (b. 1980, Alkmaar, Netherlands) and Ralph Nauta (b. 1978, Swindon, UK) met while studying at Design School Eindhoven and founded studio DRIFT in 2006. Their multidisciplinary, Amsterdam-based team now has more than 60 members.
Installations
DRIFT's high-tech installations have appeared in iconic locations around the world – including Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg; Centre Pompidou, Paris, Church of San Lorenzo, Venice and Times Square, New York. In each case, physical and digital elements of the work are carefully configured in response to the space.
Did you know?
The duo's primary source of inspiration is the calmness of nature. Every year, Gordijn harvests new dandelions to add to their ongoing project – Fragile Future.
