In conversation with contemporary artist Boris Acket

- The way your visuals metamorphosize is absolutely compelling. The kinetics are mesmerizing! Would you give us some insight on how you conceptualize your artistic expression?

The start of my artistic processes really differ from project to project. Sunbeam, Captured was conceived while I literally saw a sunbeam hitting a body of water after an epic rainstorm in the middle of a buildup; a moment in time I wanted to capture, essentially stopping time from happening. The collaboration with Sabine Marcelis then fully shifted the colouring technique and easthetic of the project.

Kinetic sculpture ‘The Bird Of A Thousand Voices’ was inspired by a project of befriended director Ruben van Leer and jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan, essentially by a firebird from an Armenian folktale. The iconic shape though was chosen because of a practical vantage point: a lack of rigging points in a concert hall gave way for the design of two controllable wings, inserting Da Vinci’s heritage in the project; I love to flow with these projects and trust in the processes and choices along the way, they breathe life into the different techniques that I use.

Generally speaking I work from fundamental elements I want to explore, whether it’s light, sound, movement, or even more ephemeral ideas like consciousness, the philosophy of time or perception. I think of my work as an evolving system-an interplay of elemental forces and technology. The visual metamorphosis you see is a reflection of these processes meeting the digital world, where technology is not a separate entity but rather a medium to reveal the underlying structures. I allow the work to take on a life of its own, with each piece becoming a living ecosystem that grows and changes organically over time.

- The environment in which you execute your installations must be quite a consideration. Do you find a space first and then work on an idea or is it the other way around?

This question makes my think about a recent project I did in Hungary. The organizers of the exhibition asked me to exhibit Einder / Wind in an enormous abandoned Turbine hall in an ex Soviet city near to the capitol of Budapest.

The work really hit when you entered the space. When I heard the story about the building, and the way it was abandoned, I felt there was a lot of pain inside. It felt like within these concrete walls this piece of cloth was the freest moving thing to ever occupy it. The poetry added by the space to this freely moving cloth was so meaningful to the experience of the work and so different to other iterations.

That being said, I like to transform spaces, but it really depends. Sometimes, a space will dictate the idea. The architecture, history or energy of a location can spark something unique-something that could only exist within that specific environment. Other times, I have a concept or a feeling in mind and seek out the right space to bring it to life. My installations are symbiotic with their environments, so the two always influence one another. It’s a dance between the idea and the space-both evolving together to create the final piece. I am excited to show my work in very traditional museum spaces next year, as well as in larger than life abandoned factory buildings.

- What have been some of your favorite and standout performances? What makes them special to you?

One of my favorite moments was to have my solo show in Berlin together with friends Sven and Clara Sauer of Wir im Ra um, a nd I a m so tha nkful tha t I could present this with themI.t was scary, to build 9 works spanning over 5 floors, but it really paid of. It was so very nice to see the smaller works thrive. A strategy of mine was always to make things bigger. In this exhibition though a small turning light I made together with pianist Jeep Beving and composer Maarten Vos was one of the favorites and people just watched this small light forever.

An integral part of my practice is to collaborate and share, and the last couple of years have been very special through these colla bora tions. I got the chance to collaborate and work with close friends like Heleen Blanken, and Lumus Instruments and with larger then life inspirators such as acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton a nd designer Sabine Marcelis.Next to that I got to contribute to a big production of Sub Global who I really admire.

- When it comes to the music, how do you determine which elements are necessary before a piece is completed?

Music is an integral part of my installations. I was a musician before anything else. I like to see my installations as closed loop instruments in which everything influences everything. In other words, the sound is the light is the movement. La tely, I love when the sound comes from the material or the machine that is actually present in the installation.I recently made Dioptrique. A work in which the material slowly disintegrates.

This work embodies a closed loop of creation and destruction. As the material slowly degrades, more details emerge in the projections. Each instance of damage generates sound, creating an unsettling atmosphere of decay. The constant hum of engines subtly underscores the piece, revealing the mechanical underpinning of what appears to be a natural and poetic refractive result.

I’m not looking for musical perfection but rather harmony or contrast between the sound, light, and motion. The piece is complete when all the elements-visual, auditory, spatial-speak to each other in a way that feels like they’re breathing together.

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