FIFTH PERIOD
This set of artworks combines mobile kinetic art and shadowgraphy
art. The continuously rotating shadow of a 3D sculpture projected
on a screen becomes a painting with a constantly changing
composition.
From 1920 to 1960, Several artists worldwide expressed interest in
experiencing mobile and diverse types of kinetic art. Sheybani
belongs to this group of artists by creating his unique approach to
kinetic art. He experimented with a novel approach to Shadowgraphy
art and its fusion with the Mobile Kinetic using his background in
dramatic art and knowledge of Chinese shadow play. Sheibani quoted
that mobile kinetic in visual arts fills the gap between 2D
paintings and motion. According to Sheibani, Mobile Kinetic bridges
the gap between 2D painting and motion pictures in the visual
arts.
Armature made of wire and colored abstract shapes of plastic pieces
is a sculpture piece by itself. It is then securely placed on a
mobile platform.
Light sources are positioned at different angles to illuminate this
sculpture.
The engine rotates the platform, creating a dynamic motion of the
sculpture and transposing its changing shadow to a milky
translucent polycarbonate screen. On the other side of the screen,
The observer sees an ever-changing multi-dimensional colored
shadow. Similar to a movie, each film frame becomes a different
painting. The frame is made of wood and encloses the screen. Some
pieces had a plain gray wooden frame, but others had textures made
with sand and pebbles, giving additional depth and dimension to the
moving images.
A wooden frame enclosed the screen with some pieces with a simple
gray wood frame, while others had textures composed of stones and
sand that gave the moving pictures more depth and character.
Fortunately, one item from this collection remains intact on
exhibit in Kashan, Iran, in the Kaj House Museum of Sheybani.
Two other pieces from this collection are supposed to be at Iran's
Ministry of Art and Culture and Modern Art Museum in Tehran. What
happened to the remaining items in this collection is unknown.
The lack of attention to this collection led to the collection's
inadequate preservation or destruction of most of the pieces. The
main reason is that the Iranian public didn’t appreciate or engage
with this type of visual art, contrary to comparable Kinetic Art
items, which are valued and adequately preserved in museums around
the world.
