Reese Lienau

Artist Statement

Fascinated by movement in art, I began to explore the creation of kinetic metal artwork (bottom left turtle). However, the Covid quarantine forced me to rethink my use of metal and experiment with new media. My initial experiment included materials found at home to create a functional pinball machine (bottom left), a piece that made me wonder what else I could use to create kinetic art. I was intrigued by an old Rubik’s Cube and used processes I had practice with—sawing and sanding—along with new processes—shaping epoxy clay and cutting intricate stickers—to create a hexagonal prism puzzle (top left). Enthralled by the engaging result, I modified my investigation to create unique kinetic puzzles, revising my hexagonal prism design to form new motion (top right). Practicing my newfound skills allowed me to design and craft my own uniquely-functional mechanisms, instead of using an existing puzzle as a base. For example, the middle left image depicts a plexiglass puzzle formed by experimentation with laser-cutting and digital design. I have recently experimented with mold-making and resin-casting to create a star-shaped puzzle (not pictured) and am currently working on the combination of existing puzzles with resin casts to create unique motion in an extremely complex puzzle (not pictured). @reeselienaumetalarts