paul kaptein warps wooden sculptures with glitch effects

paul kaptein warps wooden sculptures with glitch effects
all images courtesy of paul kaptein

australia-based artist paul kaptein unites materiality with virtual reality in his series of sculptural wooden works, adding digital ‘glitches’ into each hand-carved piece. the warped and distorted proportions of a seated monk for ‘and in the endless sounds there came a pause’ are perceived as a mind-bending illusion, as the figure’s body unusually undulates and swerves as if interrupted by software. ‘every breath, a dying star’ and ‘limber’ introduce rectangular and circular apertures into the composition, allowing the viewer to peek through gaps in the otherwise solid wooden volume. each sculpture expresses a distinct mix between data streams and information networks typically seen on screen, and the intricate craftsmanship and tangibility inherent in the handmade works.

and in the endless sounds there came a pause, 2014
laminated hand carved wood
63 x 61 x 61 cm

back view of ‘and in the endless sounds there came a pause’

the making-of ‘and in the endless sounds there came a pause’

every breath, a dying star, 2014
laminated hand carved wood, graphite
50 x 48 x 28 cm

limber, 2013
laminated, hand carved wood (poplar – liriodendron tulipifera)
h83 x w45 x d19

detail of ‘limber’

the archivist, 2013
laminated, hand carved wood (poplar – liriodendron tulipifera)
h35 x w9 x d8cm

untitled, 2014
laminated, hand carved wood
h58 x w28 x d30cm

a fast death (supernumerary), 2013
laminated, hand carved wood (jelutong – dyera costulata, western red cedar –  thuja plicata)
h21 x w17 x d39

side view of ‘a fast death (supernumerary)’