ポール・スプーナ-は1948年に英国プレストンに生まれた美術家で、ランカスター大学を卒業後、古代ギリシャ哲学をベースとする独自の視点をもとに日常世界の不条理を、皮肉とユーモアをこめて作品表現を行っています。
愛嬌のある作品には、見た目とは裏腹に深いテーマ性が込められ、またカラクリの仕組みにおいては緻密で高度な技術が駆使されており、年齢性別を問わず観る者を楽しませる魅力にあふれています。
の作品に見られるカラクリの機械的な仕組みは一見単純に見えますが、よく観察すると極めて合理的にできていることに気づかされます。しかも、可動している作品を眺めているとなぜかしら私たちの内に「忘れかけていた時や物に対する愛着心」のような気持ちが湧きあがってきます。 多様な魅力を秘め、多くの示唆を与えてくれるユニークでアイロニックなカラクリの動きをモーレンの展覧会で楽しんでいただけば幸いです。
Paul Spooner’s Art Philosophy
Paul Spooner (born in Preston, England, 1948) is an artist who gives philosophical presence to small mechanical movements.
After studying art at Lancaster University, Spooner developed a practice grounded in reflection shaped by ancient Greek philosophy. Through a quiet sense of humor and a warm, attentive gaze, he has continued to depict the absurdities of everyday life and the inherent foolishness of human beings.
His work is sometimes misunderstood as black humor.
This, however, is a misreading. Spooner’s humor is never directed at mocking others. Instead, it is a gentle form of laughter—one that embraces human imperfection with empathy and care.
What he creates is not irony, but mechanical wit.
Within the movements of his automata, Spooner quietly reflects the human condition, where foolishness and dignity coexist side by side.
When his works begin to move, we are reminded of something easily forgotten:
the beauty of living imperfectly, and of continuing on with a smile.
Spooner’s automata function as quiet philosophical devices—designed not to instruct or judge, but to awaken the sense of humanity that lies silently within us.
What he creates is not irony, but mechanical wit.
The term refers to a form of humor that combines playful intelligence with warmth toward human nature, including gentle satire rather than ridicule.
Matt Smith
Matt Smith (born in Leicester, England, 1965) is a maker whose work gives physical form to humor through precise and thoughtful mechanical design.
Working primarily with wood and metal, Smith has developed a distinctive approach to automata in which movement itself becomes a form of expression. In 1980, he began creating automata, exploring how carefully engineered mechanisms can produce gestures that feel both intentional and quietly playful.
In 1986, Smith co-founded Fourteen Balls Toy Company with Paul Spooner.
Rather than operating as a conventional company, the group functioned as a collaborative workshop—an atelier—where ideas and craft were closely intertwined. Within this partnership, Spooner conceived the conceptual and narrative ideas, while Smith was responsible for their mechanical realization and construction.
Smith’s automata are marked by a refined sense of balance and restraint.
Their movements are never excessive; instead, they reveal their meaning through clarity, timing, and precision. His mastery of mechanism allows complex ideas to appear effortless, inviting viewers to look more closely and to think more deeply.
Through this collaboration, Smith has played an essential role in shaping what might be called the “mechanical language” of Spooner’s work—transforming philosophical ideas into tangible, moving forms that quietly engage the imagination.
