Simon Schmitz

He was born in Arnsberg, Germany, called 'the city of light' in the 1930s. It was the place where the famous 'Kaiser Idell' lamp was produced and where most of the German lighting industry was located.

He currently lives together with 11 artists, designers, musicians and craftsmen on the top floor of a 1970s office building in Hamburg.

Simon uses light as a material element: it can be formed and guided. With shadow as a counterpart, light can highlight its surroundings and at the same time exclude them.

In addition to being a designer and sculptor, he views himself as a puppeteer who can manipulate the strings of machinery that make up his works of art. His work has a distinctive mechanical movement about it.

He wants to demonstrate his admiration for mechanical concepts by outlining how they operate, move, or behave. He wants people to have a conscious interaction with stuff by helping them comprehend how things work.