Transforming Machines and Gears (first year only)

Focus areas

• Science
• Art and Image

Activities

During the guided tour of the exhibition, the students will find out about the mechanical works of the renowned kinetic artist Jean Tinguely (Fribourg 1925-1991 Bern). His creations are made not just of wheels, belts, electric motors, and mechanical parts, for they also include soft toys, animal bones, discarded objects, found materials, and scrap, and more besides. The exhibition shows how Tinguely focused on the movements and sounds of the machines that he built, transforming each one into a whimsical, surprising creation with no particular function—and yet always full of fun and humour.

During the workshop activity, the students will work in pairs to create their own automata. Together, they will design and build gear systems, using wheels and drive shafts, giving their characters and imagined stories life and movement.