''Wind Leaves'' is a public artwork by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
artist
Ned Kahn
Ned Kahn is an environmental artist and sculptor, known in particular for museum exhibits, one of which is the Exploratorium in San Francisco. His work usually intends to make an invisible aspect of nature, visible.
Early life
Kahn was born in Ne ...
located on the downtown lakefront Pier Wisconsin in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It was created in 2006 and consists of a series of seven tall structures made from
aluminum
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
and
stainless steel
Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
.
Kahn website The structures, which move with the wind, have leaf forms at the top covered by thousands of stainless steel disks.
Description
The seven . structures that make up ''Wind Leaves'' each have a semi-circular form at the top which is covered by stainless steel disks. This provides a sparkling surface that reflects its surroundings such as the lakefront, city traffic at night, and the sunset.
[Bergin, Mary (9/16/2006)"Enlisting Nature; Wind, Lake, Sky Combine to Create Art on Milwaukee's Shore.", ''The Capital Times''] There are hand wheels on the support columns that allow the viewers to interact with the sculpture by turning it. ''Wind Leaves'' also has ball bearings in the columns that cause the work to move with the wind. The artwork has a musical component as well. There are a group of benches with drum sticks around the columns that can be played like
xylophone
The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Each bar is an idiophone tuned to a pitch of a musical scale, whether pentatonic or heptatonic in the case of many African ...
s, and there is a musical instrument that can be played by dropping pebbles into it.
Historical information
''Wind Leaves'' is an environmental sculpture currently located in front of
Discovery World Discovery World may refer to:
* Discovery World (museum), a science and technology museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
* Discovery World (international TV channel)
Discovery World is a former European pay television channel which featured program ...
at Milwaukee's Pier Wisconsin. The piece was paid for by an anonymous donor, and was originally designed to be placed near a grove of trees in Veteran's Park, an area north of its current location. Kahn envisioned the sculpture as a "forest of vertical elements"
paying tribute to Milwaukee's big trees. Once the donor asked for the location to be changed closer to the water, the design concept changed to reflect its new surroundings. Kahn thus envisioned the present work, which is meant to "create the impression of being surrounded by a field of wind."
"This sculpture works on many levels. First, it can be seen from a far, sparkling against the lake and the new museum's white geometry. It draws us to it. Up close, the experience is powerful but not obtrusive. You can sit in the park and relax, while at the same time enjoy the movement of the shapes as the wind pushes them around."
Susceptible to Images.
Acquisition
The money for the sculpture ($500,000) was provided by an anonymous donor.
Journal Sentinel article
See also
* Environmental art
References
{{MilwaukeePublicArt
Outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee
2006 sculptures
Aluminum sculptures in Wisconsin
Steel sculptures in Wisconsin
2006 establishments in Wisconsin
Stainless steel sculptures in the United States