Modified 1968. Metal, wood, magnets, needles, guitar string, electricity. Courtesy: The David Bermant Foundation: Color, Light, Motion.

Takis’ work is unusual, if not actually unique, among kinetic and other art projects, for its use of magnets as a central element.

Since the late 1950s, when he first discovered the possibilities of the magnetic field for art, Takis has made numerous sculptures exploiting magnetism’s capacity to attract or repel metal. Particularly in the context of kineticism, many of these works are interesting because they are actually static and use magnetism to suspend metal elements in improbable or even seemingly impossible situations.

Musicale London is different in that it involves movement and sound, another of Takis’ artistic interests. The metal knitting needles are perturbed by a pulsing electromagnetic current and intermittently hit or rest against the guitar string stretched in front of them, producing both a lively visual spectacle and an intriguing aural experience.