Parker Heyl UK
Jacob’s Wall
Monumental kinetic sculpture
A tour of artworks in public spaces as part of the Aix Biennale
Friday 30th and Saturday 31st October
from 7pm to 11pm
Place de l’Hôtel de Ville
Aix-en-Provence
Jacob’s Wall is a kinetic artwork that uses mechanical devices and analog electronics. The artist has maintained the piece since 2019, allowing it to accumulate scratches and marks and display small, unique signs of wear: a record of its life, its moments of breakdown, and the artist’s repair methods. In contrast, digital media lack these tangible signs of uniqueness, existing instead in an alternative realm of predictability and quantification. Parker’s work critiques the reductive nature of binary computing, challenging the notion of digital superiority over analog.
Emphasizing the importance of “handcrafting” and “repairing by hand,” Parker argues that digital circuits, unlike their analog counterparts, pose challenges in terms of repairability. The difficulty of repairing digital devices by hand inevitably leads to them ending up as waste in landfills. Can we imagine a future where everyday objects last a lifetime, and where the ability to care for and repair them is a skill that exists locally? Jacob’s Wall advocates for the vital role of manual skills in a sustainable future, promoting the longevity of everyday objects.
Parker Heyl
Parker Heyl is a kinetic artist, set designer, and professor at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London. He creates kinetic sculptures and immersive environments that challenge the 20th-century vision of a world that can be digitally structured and managed by cybernetic systems. These translations are not without loss: what is lost is a sense of the object’s presence, or aura. Parker has created works for galleries, including Frieze No. 9 Cork St, the MAD Gallery in Geneva, and the Venice Architecture Biennale. His work as a set designer has been presented internationally at venues such as the Brooklyn Paramount, FOLD London, the Munich Biennale, the Glastonbury Festival, and the Coachella Music Festival.
