Interact Art of Leonardo's Machines Print

The Dream of Flight The interest in flying in Leonardo represented an important part of his research: the parachute project was the first example of a "flight tool" in history. In the drawings of the mechanical Eagle, Leonardo intends to explore the mechanics of flying in the wing striking and rising with the feather movement. The tail controls the direction with the lateral movement. In the design of the batting wing Leonardo outlines the design of a wing that, if moved by a lever equipped with sufficient speed and strength, could lift a man in flight. The Comedy Bird is the theatrical and scenographic transposition of the flight mechanism made by a model that ran along a wire, in this installation it rotates in a circle suspended from a wooden rod. Interaction In the installation, the movement of the Comedy Bird is continuous with rotation around the central pin. When the sensors detect an obstacle at a distance of about 25 cm they move the wings and the tail through two servomotors with a rhythmic oscillatory motion. If the distance increases they stop while the Bird continues its turn.