Balance from Within (2010)

A 170-year-old sofa balances on one leg. With the aid of an internal kinetic, robotic mechanism, the sofa responds to gravity that brings it out of balance. Falling is corrected by an internal kinetic robot mechanism. Metaphorically speaking, the old sofa refers to moments when we reflect upon our life choices. For the artist, the sofa represents a place where people sit together to reflect upon life’s questions such as where am I at this moment and where do I want to go? We continually reflect upon new situations, and make adjustments to find a new balance.

Jacob Tonski sees himself as a pragmatic optimist; through his work he researches the dynamics of kinetic metaphors. He doesn’t shy away from important social issues such as inequality, but he also frequently deals with themes in which human emotions play an important role: pleasure, fear, youthfulness and human decay alternate one another. An amusing and at times chilling or mysterious alienation comes about through his larger than life toy- and tool-like objects. Time and gravity become metaphors for the things in life we can’t directly avoid but, while negotiating and dancing our way around them, we instead have to find them a place. Alongside his sculptural works Tonski also makes videos. He received his Masters in arts at the UCLA, worked as a technical director at Pixar Animations Studios and is currently the assistant professor of Art and Interactive Media Studies at Miami University, Ohio, and the Art and Technology Studies Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Among others, his work has been exhibited in China, Brazil, Germany, Portugal and Belgium.