vincent leroy’s optical mobile of floating lenses dances with hot air balloons over cappadocia

Floating Fresnel Lenses shape a kinetic sculpture by Vincent Leroy

In the valleys of Cappadocia, French artist Vincent Leroy has installed Floating Lenses, a kinetic sculpture that interacts with wind, light, and the surrounding landscape.

The work is composed of concentric Fresnel lenses mounted on a carbon and 3D printed frame. Activated by natural air currents, the structure shifts gently, refracting and distorting its environment. As the morning balloons rise across the horizon, their forms appear multiplied, dissolved, and reshaped through the lenses, producing layered visual effects that alter the perception of space.

Wind and light become active elements of the kinetic installation

Rather than functioning as a static object, the installation operates as a responsive surface. Each lens reframes fragments of sky and terrain, generating a continuous sequence of visual transformations. The project emphasizes the relationship between movement, optics, and landscape, where technology integrates with natural conditions instead of dominating them.

With Floating Lenses, artist Vincent Leroy extends his investigation into optical devices and kinetic structures, reinterpreting the Fresnel lens beyond its utilitarian origins. The installation highlights the potential of material and environmental forces, such as wind, light, and perspective, to create a spatial experience in constant flux.

project info:

name: Floating Lenses

designer: Vincent Leroy | @vincent_leroy_studio

location: Cappadocia, Turkey