ObOrO, by Ryo Kishi

Created in 2016 by Ryo Kishi, ObOrO is a kinetic installation that explores the behaviour of light in suspension through the Coandă effect, a physical phenomenon in which a flow of air curves around surfaces, defying the expected direction. In the work, luminous spheres float in space with no visible physical support, held only by air currents and controlled by high-precision multiphase motors.

Each sphere contains an autonomous system with an internal LED, an air blower and a motor that sets its rotation. The movement is unpredictable: the spheres turn, rise, fall and vibrate in continuous instability. The work creates an organic choreography in real time, sensitive to the interaction of the public, who can alter the flows with simple gestures nearby, like a body interfering with the atmosphere around it.

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ObOrO presents instability as a visual language. The work does not seek precision, but variation. It offers not control, but condition. What is at stake is the perception of the ephemeral and the materialisation of a transitory state, in which light and air become sculptural elements.

Ryo Kishi is an artist and researcher based in Tokyo. A graduate in Interdisciplinary Information Studies from the University of Tokyo, he develops work that favours physical and sensory phenomena over explicit narratives or techniques. Since 2014 he has taken part in exhibitions such as Ars Electronica (Austria), the Japan Media Arts Festival and BAM Teknopolis (United States), among others.

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ObOrO received the New Face Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2017 and continues to be shown in spaces that foster the crossing between art, science and sensory experience. The work is part of the Japan Foundation collection and has been presented at institutions such as the Ars Electronica Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

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