Ivo Schoofs graduated in physics. In addition to his job at a high tech company he does experiments, builds prototypes and creates kinetic art, moving light objects and festival installations.
‘I want to show the beauty of science and technology in a way that people can understand.’
At the Eindhoven Maker Faire (September 2 & 3) a Crazy Car Parade will take place. One of the participants is a motorized cargo bicycle. A kind of moped, but enforced with a jet drive as well. ‘You can call it a hybrid – it will be loud and clear’, says Ivo Schoofs with a smile. You can read from his face that he enjoys his inventions and creations. During the event two prototypes of earlier installations will be on show as well: the Large Pendulum Wave and the Large Fire Tornado.
Born and raised in Eindhoven region Schoofs as a boy already started to make things, create objects and build devices. ‘Science and technology are abundant here. It stimulated my fascination for natural and physical phenomena such as gravity, movement, heat, light, lighting and friction.’ After his study at Fontys University of Applied Sciences he worked ten years at the research and development institute TNO Optics and then joined a group of colleagues at the start-up company OMT Solutions, specialized in spectral optics.
‘The work is very interesting and challenging, but it’s also rewarding to realise your own figments that have no commercial purpose’, says Schoofs. So he developed a breakfast machine based on a jet engine that was shown during the annual Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. ‘That was fun. A lot of noise and toasting bread in a huge exhaust,’ he says with the same smile on his face. ‘The enthusiastic reactions motivated me to keep going in that direction.’ A few years later, in 2013, he created the Large Pendulum Wave as a moving light installation for the annual light festival Glow in Eindhoven. Followed two years later, after a lot of calculating, prototyping and testing, by the Large Fire Tornado – inspired by the view of a forest fire.
From Montreal to Moscow, both installations now are travelling around the world to be on show at festivals and events. Created for the festival Glow in 2016 by now also a permanent light art work made by Schoofs is located in the centre of Eindhoven. It might be interactive in the near future. In the meantime he also started the Dark Matter Foundation, that aims to stimulate the interest in both art as well as science & technology at young age.
His dream and ambition is to make his work from his art activities. ‘Science has become so complex, incomprehensible and unknown to many. The same goes for technology. Devices have become shiny, self-facing black boxes. We all use mobile phones, but have no idea about the principles behind it. I want to show the beauty of science and technology in a way that people can understand. And hopefully they get inspired by my fascination’.
