John Edmark's Kinetic Sculptures Use Golden Ratio and Stroboscopic Light

John Edmark, born in Seattle in 1965 and now based in California, creates sculptures that begin as computer screen designs and are transformed into three-dimensional objects via 3D printing. Their unique appeal lies in appearing to the human eye as constantly morphing plastic forms, almost as if made of liquid matter. This effect, clearly visible in the video showcasing his newest series Blooms 2—presented just days ago after a year of work—is achieved through coordinated illumination and rotation. The sculptures are lit with stroboscopic lights and rotated on a plane following the golden ratio proportion, the same found in the growth of many natural elements like shells, pinecones, and sunflowers. The speed of movement and frequency of light flashes are synchronized so that the light beam hits the sculpture after each rotation of 137.5 degrees, the angular version of the golden section.