Felix Hess, physicist and artist Groningen, died last Monday at the age of 81 in his hometown of Haren.
The world-famous artist and physicist was born in The Hague, but went on to study physics at the University of Groningen. There he received his Ph.D. by thesis in Boomerang Physics.
He then left for Australia (Adelaide) and Hess became interested in the howling patterns of frog populations. Back in the Netherlands, he “translated” his findings into moving and interactive audio devices and gave presentations with them in galleries and later in museums as well. In doing so, he laid the foundation for his technical developments with all kinds of electronic installations.
He is best known in Groningen for his exhibition in the Tschumi Pavilion, which Hess transformed in 1999 into a large interactive lantern that reacts to the fluctuations of the air. In 2018, Hess did it again, when he filled the ward with 4,000 bears.
In March of this year, Hess received another certificate and medal from the Czech Minister of Culture for donating to the National Gallery in Prague his collection of Japanese Zen paintings.
