TETRACÒNO

Experience the Tetracono in AR with a phone or tablet

Bruno Munari

1965

Looking at the object, with its shifting chromatic effect, is supposed to lead the viewer to meditate on the mutability of nature. Because of the slowness with which the change occurs, the colour combinations are first perceived one by one, like the single frames in a film, but if one watches for longer the effect becomes that of a continuous transformation, from all green to all red, in the course of eighteen minutes.

Bruno Munari

As long as we try to slow up and limit spontaneous change by means of a static symbol we will never be able to understand or to act in a really effective way.

Alexander Dormer

The principle of a form is not it is but one does.

Bauhaus

Spatial dimension 15 × 15 × 15 centimeters

Temporal dimension 1080 seconds

1 2 4 3 60 72 108 90 setting a position for cones in a cubic space base of cone = side of the square general plan programming the surface of each cone is divided in two equal parts of complementary colours the flat surface of each cone takes up ¾ of a circle time, in seconds, for each full turn kinetic direction of four motors built into the cones kinetic distribution of the speeds

“The art of the past (painting and sculpture) has accustomed us to seeing nature as static: a sunset, a face, an apple, all static. People go to nature looking for images such as these static things, whereas an apple is in fact a moment in the process from apple-seed to tree, blossom, fruit. In nature nothing is still.” Bruno Munari

Virtual Tetracono

Only at hic et nunc →

OBJKT 59695

Informational dimension 104 KB

Editions 50

Tetracono is an industrial product made of steel (box) and aluminium (cones) with the function of showing “forms while they are in the process of becoming”. The virtual Tetracono is a direct translation of Munari’s recipe into code that generates a GLTF artefact. The programmatic nature of this artwork makes it universal and perfectly suited to this digital and post-industrial world. This website and NFT is an hommage to Munari’s artwork.

“What really counts is the information which a work of art can convey, and to get down to this we have to abandon all our preconceived notions and make a new object that will get its message across by using the tools of our time.” Bruno Munari

Inspired by Bruno Munari’s Tetracono. Quotes and illustrations reproduced from the books Design as Art by Bruno Munari and A *New* Program for Graphic Design by David Reinfurt. Created by @fhoehl.

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