Sculpture #2

Title: Untitled

Year: 1967

Artist: George Rickey

Location: In front of Building 12, State Office Campus, Albany NY

Material: Stainless Steel

This is a kinetic sculpture that is found in a seasonally working fountain in front of a State office building. When originally made, it contained six needles that wave in the wind. However, one of the arms is broken, and now only five wave in the wind. The needles sit about 10 feet off the ground in a cradle type item. The needles themselves are about fifteen feet long.

The needles seem to move effortlessly with the wind. There is no noise or any seemingly mechanical efforts when the needles moved. It was interesting to watch the needles. It appears the three needles sway at the same time and the other two sway together. However, sometimes they all sway in same direction and other times they seem to overlap each other.

You can completely walk around this sculpture since it is located in a fountain like areas. Although the direction of the needles change based on your view, the sculpture is the same from all sides of viewing. There is no other color besides the stainless steel.

I think the large space was definitely a factor in placing the sculpture. Your eye is drawn to the lines of the sculpture. Lines play a large role in this art- from the long lined pole it sits on to the long needles of the sculpture. I wonder if it was the artists intent that if/when a needle breaks-to not replace the broken needle. I actually think it is kind of poetic that this broken sculpture is sitting in an unused fountain overlooking a 911 Memorial.

In observing this sculpture, I felt that the movement of the needles were like the graceful movements of the hands of an expensive watch. They were just graceful and effortlessly swaying in the wind.

Below are two videos of the needles blowing in the wind. Unfortunately they are sideways-this was my first attempt. Note that the second video has a view with the flags and the 911 Memorial in the background.