Kinetic Wind Sculptures: Abstract Art in Motion

I have learned a few things about modern art and sculpture. For one thing, modern abstract art started as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Art was once used as a tool to create realistic looking likenesses of famous or important people, religious events, and historical scenes. Sculpture used a set of techniques and effects to create beautiful statues. Technology made this art somewhat unnecessary, so abstract artists began to look into what effects and techniques the old masters used to create a realistic looking works of art.

I learned that abstract artists began to study art and the way people perceive something before them. They began to experiment with different techniques and mediums to study how art pieces are judged by the public. Sculpture artists experimented with perception of a 3-dimensional object. I could see an object, like a large rock, and see a recognizable image of something, but when I change my viewing angle by walking around the rock, it looks nothing like the image. To me this is very fascinating and it is something that master sculpture artists are aware of at all times.

Kinetic wind sculptures are very interesting because, unlike a normal statue, they are constantly changing form. They can resemble something familiar for a split second, and then look unrecognizable. Wind sculptures also have a place in nature, with the breeze contributing to their purposeful change in form. This is a unique art form because it uses balance in a way that no traditional sculpture artist had imagined before and because it employs moving parts to create an interesting piece that I can watch for hours.

Sculptures have always used balance to create well crafted works of art. There are techniques that use counter balance to give the impression that an object is centered when it is actually off balance. Wind sculptures are constantly balancing and counter balancing, much in the same way great music uses discord and harmony of sound. A kinetic wind sculpture will appear as though it is about to fall over, then it will look totally stable, then off balance yet again.

Wind art is highly dependent on the climate of the area they will be placed. A windy area will not work for a piece that is designed to swing and turn in a small breeze. At the same time, a wind sculpture that needs to spin rapidly in a high wind will be less effective when installed in a breezy area. Kinetic wind sculpture artists should be keenly aware of the climate of an area where their art pieces will be installed.

There are wind sculptures for sale, but they are large purchases. They seem to range from a few hundred dollars for simple designs to thousands of dollars for the intricate and pieces that I find most fascinating. For those who can afford to buy one or several, kinetic wind sculptures make a great addition to a beautiful landscape.

I love to look at wind sculptures because I know that a certain arrangement of the pieces will not likely happen again for a long time. A particular form is unlikely because all the pieces are moving randomly as the wind pushes them. If I were to see a swan in a form of an intricately crafted wind sculpture, I will probably not see the swan image again no matter how long I view the piece, or I might see the image again because the randomly moving pieces fell together just right. I am very fascinated by this concept.