Aspen leaves spinning over a sunlit Colorado stream, and a diverse student community are associations woven into this suspended kinetic sculpture. The 25 x 50 x 6′ work is composed of stainless steel cable, tube and rod, and 920 variously textured aluminum panels. The sculpture folds and unfolds like a curtain of branches stirring a reflective texture.
Forever shifting, changing and unfolding: The Fabric of Knowledge
The Fabric of Knowledge aluminum, stainless steel
25 x 50 x 6′
Colorado State University
Behavioral Sciences Building – South Atrium
2011
a review of the fabrication process for Mel Ristau’s Communities of Light aerial kinetic sculpture constructed from 174 interconnecting aluminum, stainless steel and chromatic glass triads and installed at Colorado State University College of Business Rockwell West atrium Fort Collins, CO
A kinetic sculpture is an artwork designed to move. Having mechanical advantage, levers can make it easier to get things moving. Movement can be achieved by capturing environmental energy (effort) like wind or water or by employing effort generating devices like motors or muscle wires. The presence of effort can result in movement that rearranges [...]
Recently, i was asked to contribute to a Girl Scout troop’s education activity on mobiles and stabiles. I retrieved an abandoned mobile kit project that seems perfect for 10 and 11 year old girls. Colorful on one side, the back side of the parts have been left white for a bit of personalization with writing [...]
With an installation date of mid-March 2010, i am about to begin fabrication of an aerial kinetic sculpture for the new Colorado State University Rockwell Business building atrium. The concept for this work began as i learned of the school’s unique education of students for outreach to communities and individuals in third world countries — Paul [...]
Originally appearing as The Lightbug in Beadwork magazine (June/July 2003), this posting describes how to make a simple figure from a twig, wire and beads—a four legged “bug”—inspired by a renewed appreciation for the simple materials and crafts of my youth. By showing how to replicate a basic figure, my intent is to provide a springboard for more creative interpretations [...]
Oh to work with simple materials and processes! While reading David Robert’s, In Search of the Old Ones, i discovered the research and creative work of Clint Swink. Clint’s Messages from the High Desert, The Art, Archeology and Renaissance of Mesa Verde Pottery, describes through hundreds of drawings and photos the process knowledge needed to [...]
