Alex Sanson has been working as a sculptor and designer since the early 1990s, with a focus on interactive, playful and kinetic sculpture as well as architectural and domestic metalwork and design.

About Alex Sanson

Alex’s award winning smaller-scale sculpture has been on show in many galleries including Flinders Lane Gallery, Living Arts Space in Bendigo, Horsham Regional Art Gallery, Lost Ones in Ballarat, Stockroom in Kyneton, Lot19 in Castlemaine and Yering Station in the Yarra Valley.

Larger scale works include Spherophyte and Nebulous installed in Melbourne for White Night 2017; Small Revolutions, a rolling ball sculpture with interactive, kinetic and multimedia elements, commissioned by Melbourne Fringe Festival for Federation Square; Material World, a house sized immersive installation, again commissioned by Melbourne Fringe Festival for Federation Square; and kinetic and other large installations at Upstream in Wodonga, Real Festival in Sydney, Strawberry Fields Festival in Tocumwal, Spilt Milk Festival in Canberra, WOMAD, Rainbow Serpent Music and Arts Festival, Stringybark Sustainability Festival, The Outback Eclipse Festival, Earthdance International Peace Festival (at multiple venues in Melbourne and Sydney), and many other music and arts festivals.

Permanent works include the major kinetic sculpture, Djalgala Yarra, commissioned for Blacktown hospital, Sydney, an interactive tactile fountain for the SCOPE Chelsea Day Centre for people with cerebral palsy and a dinosaur ant sculpture at Poochera, S.A. as well as sculptural lighting installations for Japanese restaurant Wabi Sabi in Fitzroy and St Kilda; and many other pieces of sculpture, furniture, metal work and lighting installations.

Projects in schools include a Creative Learnings Partnership residency at Rainbow P-12 school culminating in the installation of a kinetic sculpture and various work supporting arts programs or creating entrance features, gates and sculpture including at Merri Creek Primary School, Wattle Park Primary, St Michael’s Grammar, Brunswick South West Primary and Melbourne German International schools and others.

Alex’s primary medium is steel (including stainless steel), for its strength, versatility and modesty, and because it lends itself to so many different techniques and applications. Alex also uses other metals, timber, plastics, stone and electrical and mechanical components where appropriate. Techniques used include fabrication and machining, welding, woodworking and a little blacksmithing. After initial sketching and concept development, CAD is used extensively to help fully imagine and plan complex moving 3D structures and how they will relate to their intended site.

Alex also works under the name of Metaform, particularly for music festival and architectural metal work projects.

Download Alex’s CV

We acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung People as the Traditional Custodians of the land we live and work on and recognise their continuing connection to the land and waterways. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging and extend this to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.

Sustainability and environmental impact

Alex is committed to minimising his practice’s impact on the environment, particularly with regard to climate change. Both his studio and house are 100% powered by solar (grid connected, averaged through the year). Projects are designed carefully to minimise consumption of new resources and to re-use materials and parts where possible. Very little waste is generated, most of which is steel and easily recycled. Further opportunities are always being sought and reviewed to offset emissions from his practice.

Alex’s Blog

Sculpture

Alex is fascinated by kinetic sculpture that can be touched and played with, in which movement and interaction drive engagement and participation.

Festivals & Events

Alex loves to build giant kinetic sculpture, focal points for contemplative wonder, or mesmerising, energetic and euphoric centrepieces.

Metal Work

Drawing upon his sculptural aesthetic, Alex designs and makes gates, lighting and all manner of artisanal and architectural metalwork.