Jean Tinguely show us that mechanics can be a means of expression. From Kandinsky we learn that Art is what the artist says is Art.
I believe that the artists obligation is to explain the world according to his point of view.
Without disregarding aesthetics my main motivation is of a social character: to put machines in human environments, in situations in which humans would never expect to see a machine. These creations are a metaphor for our modern world. An illustration of our love-hate relationship with technology, and an exploration of the ways in which the world is itself transformed into a constantly accelerating machine.
These forces live, to varying degrees, in each of my creations, and are merged with symbolic and aesthetic elements which I encounter, and which are deemed adequate, to produce the feelings which need expressing.
These impulses are, to a greater or lesser extent, present in each of my creations. Appropriate/adequate symbolic and aesthetic elements which I encounter are added to these impulses to produce the feelings that need expressing.
Sometimes the results are what I intended and at other times pieces develop in unexpected directions. Sometimes the public sees what I am trying to express and sometimes sees something entirely different. Sometimes something that is a joke or playful to me is interpreted as something serious and important, and vice versa…
This may indicate that I have little control over my work, but if it means that the pieces have their own way, and that I have much to learn, then I think that this is fine.