Since I’m new here at the gallery, I spoke to a few artists who focus on wind sculptures to get a better idea of what they take into consideration when designing a piece. In addition to the overall artistic concept, I was curious to learn what attributes can enhance or detract from the beauty and stability of each work of art.
As with other forms of three-dimensional art, material choices are critical to a successful kinetic piece, and variables such as weight, bearing strength, cost and durability are key considerations.
Artists told me that using a heavy material such as stainless steel makes the sculpture more challenging to create and transport, but can add to its structural stability in high winds. Aluminum can be worked in thinner sheets, but because it isn’t as strong as steel, it may have difficulty supporting its own weight, or the weight of other modules of the structure.
Jeffery Laudenslager mentioned that titanium is only slightly heavier than aluminum and is stronger than stainless steel, so titanium kinetic sculptures can be made which are 50% lighter and stronger. However, the material cost is ten times more by weight due to the high price of the material. Tradeoffs, tradeoffs!
In terms of durability, stainless steel is suitable for all climates. In more humid areas or in areas near the ocean with salt in the air, annual treatment with a rust preventative is needed. Titanium is virtually immune to corrosion and holds up well in the elements, but again, there’s that issue of cost.
Plastic is another material which is sometimes used for kinetic sculpture. Due to its relatively light weight in comparison to metal, it’s most often seen in the suspended modules of indoor pieces so that the movement remains subtle. Tim Prentice is currently working with elegantly engineered and precisely balanced plastic forms that dance on the slightest of air currents.
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