Lin’s sculptures andmobiles hang in hotels from
Singapore and Hong Kong, to Ireland and China.
And it is the project that dictates thematerials.
His industrial-sizedmobiles and sculptures are
made fromwood, steel, brass, bronze, metal,
aluminum. His workshop is amix of metal shop
and woodworking studio. “Brass is my favourite,
and it’s great that it’s so hot right now,” he says.
So what inspires these mega works of art?
“Originally, when I was being a little more
idealistic, I was like, This is my opportunity. All
of this stuff was coming out of product design
where if you double the lifespan of a product,
your environmental impact is half instantly.
Pretty basic, right? That’s kind of where it came
from: to create stuff that people would keep
in their lives forever. And the natural world
inspiredme – bringing the natural world inside.
Giving people a moment of reflection. But that
was just when I was coming out of school. Now,
what inspires me is a hard question. I don’t
know. You knowwhat’s right when you see it as
a creative person, but I don’t knowwhat drives
me to do it. I don’t even remember.”
In a time when somuch of our lives is
consumed by the digital, Lin is stepping back,
but not out of it.
“There are always times when we send out for
CNC [Computer Numerical Control machining]
and things like that. Because a lot of the
projects are just massive. I’ve had people
cutting and sanding steel for months before
we can actually use it. So nowwe send out
for a waterjet [industrial cutting tool], it’s just
spectacular.”
“It’s crazy nowwithmodern technology,” he
adds. “Man, I sound like an old fart, but some
of the shit online that people are creating just
with 3-D printing blows my mind. It doesn’t irk
me, I just feel old. But there’s a total disconnect
between the artist and a person that just draws
something and presses click. At the same time
you’re so quickly able to investigate what it is
you’ve created. So it’s kind of a catch-22. I feel
like you get a better result if you’ve got your
hands onto things and you’ve been doing it for a
while. I know for me, that a certain curvewill look
better. I’mwaymore analog. As a human being.”
And what could be more analog than living off
the grid? As Lin continues tomove into his new
studio he’s excited to get back to creating.
“I don’t knowwhat the future holds really. I just
think more, bigger, better.”
And we’re excited to see, just exactly, what that
means.
“What inspiresme isahard
question. Youknowwhat’s right
whenyousee it asa creative
person, but I don’t knowwhat
drivesme todo it. I don’t even
remember.”
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MOUNTAINLIFEONTARIO
WINTER2016
ABOVE&BELOW
PHOTOSCOURTESYDENNIS LIN.
