"You see, my ambition was not to confound the engineering world but simply to create a beautiful piece of art"
About this Quote
Kit Williams slips a quiet provocation under the polite word “simply.” By framing his ambition as “not to confound the engineering world” but “to create a beautiful piece of art,” he’s not disclaiming complexity so much as relocating authority. Engineering is the culture of proofs, tolerances, and optimization; art is the culture of enchantment, misdirection, and felt experience. Williams’ sentence sets up a false dichotomy only to reveal how intertwined the two really are: the kind of beauty he’s after often requires engineering-level rigor, yet he refuses to let technical cleverness be the point.
The verb choice matters. “Confound” suggests a world of professionals who might bristle at being outflanked by an artist’s invention, as if the highest compliment for a mechanism is that it leaves experts scratching their heads. Williams waves that trophy away. He’s saying: don’t mistake difficulty for value, and don’t confuse the audience’s awe with the maker’s goal.
The line also reads as a defense against a common trap for makers in a gadget-obsessed culture: the applause that comes for being “smart” can swallow the work’s emotional center. Williams, famous for puzzle-box aesthetics and riddling narratives, understands that craftsmanship can be a delivery system for wonder, not a flex. He insists on an older hierarchy: technique is subordinate, even when it’s spectacular; the real ambition is to make something that feels inevitable, luminous, and strangely human.
The verb choice matters. “Confound” suggests a world of professionals who might bristle at being outflanked by an artist’s invention, as if the highest compliment for a mechanism is that it leaves experts scratching their heads. Williams waves that trophy away. He’s saying: don’t mistake difficulty for value, and don’t confuse the audience’s awe with the maker’s goal.
The line also reads as a defense against a common trap for makers in a gadget-obsessed culture: the applause that comes for being “smart” can swallow the work’s emotional center. Williams, famous for puzzle-box aesthetics and riddling narratives, understands that craftsmanship can be a delivery system for wonder, not a flex. He insists on an older hierarchy: technique is subordinate, even when it’s spectacular; the real ambition is to make something that feels inevitable, luminous, and strangely human.
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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