“CYCLES N2,” Kazan, Russia, 2026. Kinetic installation. Steel, motors. 20 x 8 meters
Spanish artist SpY has unveiled a mesmerizing new installation for the 2026 NUR International Media Art Festival in Kazan, Russia. Titled CYCLES N2, the large-scale work suspends 15 illuminated rings above a dramatic hall lined with glowing red ramps. The rings rise and fall in synchronized motion while a custom soundtrack fills the space, transforming the industrial setting into an immersive environment that constantly shifts before visitors’ eyes.
SpY created CYCLES N2 specifically for the NUR International Media Art Festival, an annual event that has brought contemporary media art to sites across Kazan since 2021. Each edition invites artists from around the world to reinterpret the city’s architecture through large-scale interventions that encourage audiences to rediscover familiar spaces after dark.
Unlike the artist’s earlier kinetic sculpture Cycles, which relied on rotating steel rings, CYCLES N2 explores vertical movement. Each illuminated ring travels independently, ascending and descending at carefully timed intervals to create an ever-changing composition overhead.
As visitors move through the installation, the circles overlap before drifting apart and aligning into new geometric formations. Every step reveals a different arrangement, encouraging viewers to experience the work from multiple perspectives.
Light pulses race around each ring in synchronized sequences as an original score by Omar Tenany and Komatsu echoes through the hall. Together, the changing illumination and rhythmic sound make the installation feel as though it breathes above the audience.
With CYCLES N2, SpY continues his exploration of perception and spatial experience. Rather than presenting a static sculpture, he creates a work that constantly changes, rewarding visitors who linger and watch its forms evolve over time.
Against the venue’s glowing red concrete ramps, the illuminated rings appear almost weightless as they drift overhead. Their bright circular forms contrast with the angular architecture surrounding them, creating a scene that feels both futuristic and meditative. Through carefully timed motion, shifting light, and precise geometry, CYCLES N2 transforms a simple circle into an endlessly changing visual experience.
SpY created CYCLES N2 for the NUR International Media Art Festival, where 15 illuminated rings rose and fell above an industrial hall in Kazan, Russia.
“CYCLES N2,” Kazan, Russia, 2026. Kinetic installation. Steel, motors. 20 x 8 meters
“CYCLES N2,” Kazan, Russia, 2026. Kinetic installation. Steel, motors. 20 x 8 meters
In the kinetic installation, each suspended ring moves independently, creating constantly shifting geometric patterns that transform as visitors walk beneath the installation.
“CYCLES N2,” Kazan, Russia, 2026. Kinetic installation. Steel, motors. 20 x 8 meters
“CYCLES N2,” Kazan, Russia, 2026. Kinetic installation. Steel, motors. 20 x 8 meters
Custom lighting and an original score immerse viewers in an ever-changing environment that explores motion, perception, and space.
“CYCLES N2,” Kazan, Russia, 2026. Kinetic installation. Steel, motors. 20 x 8 meters
“CYCLES N2,” Kazan, Russia, 2026. Kinetic installation. Steel, motors. 20 x 8 meters