You sensed his dark forms before reaching the door. From behind a welding mask he gestures to you, pointing to an empty seat. Beside a glistening piston engine you watch as he saws away chunks of hardened foam with an angle grinder. Otherworldly creations levitate on steel plinths, their insides throbbing with mechanical sound. Exhaust pipes and heat sinks line the floor next to inky digital prints. The man turns away from a turbine-inspired form with plastic jaws. “Okay then” Simon says, lifting his mask, grinning. “Are you ready to see differently?”

Multi-media artist Simon Van Parys invites you to experience a new world. A place where electrifying soundscapes animate sculptural, drawn and digital forms. Where a passion for the technological collides with the futuristic: the car annex showroom seen through the lens of science fiction. Here, V8 engines show signs of organic decay and locomotive forms develop insectoid traits. In Van Parys’s world the earthly gains wings, becoming interstellar.

Raised in Lokeren, Belgium, he moved to Ghent mid-way through high school to specialise in art and settled there permanently. He graduated in 2010 with a Masters in Fine Arts and Sculpture, producing a vivid evocation of intergalactic conflict. Soon after he found the studio where his professional practice would take root, though his artistic horizons continue to expand, with international collaborations in cities like Hong Kong, London and Buenos Aires. Each new environment exerts a defining influence on his output, with his final presentation evidencing the importance of cultural exchange between visiting artists and local communities.

Diligently realising every aspect of his technological vision - from hand-welded plinths to the audio tracks accompanying his latest projects - Van Parys’s practice is truly unique. His sculptural work is complemented by a range of media, with sound, found-objects, painting, photography and digital drawings heightening this multi-sensory experience. His fusion of machine and organic forms cause us to reappraise our over-intellectualized view of the world. Categories dissolve and a reality of constant flux is unveiled, with his work conveying the dizzying sensation of revelation. So, are you coming? Good. But buckle up quick. We’re taking the fast-lane into the future!