Petals 1-3
June 21, 2006 | Edward Tufte
9 Comment(s)
Three paraboloid segments, each about 16 feet in length, made from aluminum, installed in a flowing horizontal sequence:
Topics: 3-Star Threads, E.T., Sculpture
Three paraboloid segments, each about 16 feet in length, made from aluminum, installed in a flowing horizontal sequence:
These are beautiful. It seems they are rotated slightly from each other, not quite in the same
plane. In both pictures, the perspective and shading are such that the furthest left parabola
might even be rotated very far. It’s a fabulous visual confusion where the objects seem
straight but are actually curved. More information on the curves chosen for each side would
be wonderful. Where is the centroid located?
How was aluminum finished? The finish implies softness with a nice degree of reflection. Do you have any pictures at sunrise or sunset?
Sean
The pictures above illustrate some of the painted color fields generated by sunlight,
ambient light, reflected light from the grass, and tree shadows falling onto the aluminum
surfaces and edges of Petals 1-3.
The surface was ground several times in
different ways: to clean off oxidation and mill marks, to introduce some surface variation,
and then, by means of a belt sander, to create the patina of scratches running parallel with
the ground. We did a lot of experiments during the last 18 months in order to find a good
grinding sequence and pattern. Patterns that work in small areas, we repeatedly
discovered, did not necessarily work over the vast surface area of each petal–just like a
floor tile pattern looks great in a store sample but then doesn’t work in practice over a
larger area.
These results demonstrate the many interesting and beautiful visual activities generated
by sculptures constructed from quietly reflective aluminum and stainless steel. Each day,
and sometimes each hour, there is something different to see.
The photographs do not of course catch the dynamic range of the actual light, particularly
those that show directly reflected sunset light (such as the bottom photograph).
In the third row of photographs, students of color will note the edge fluting at the
intersection of the 2 adjacent images. On the left side of the edge, note the darkened
color opposite the lighter color on the right; then above, the lightened color opposite the
dark green. Covering the right image with a
piece of paper will reveal that this effect is an optical artifact; we’re seeing something that
isn’t there.
The 3 pictures in the June 22, 2006 contribution were taken by Graham Larkin, Curator of
European and American Art, National Gallery of Canada, and otherwise known to readers of
this board for his role in my sculpture Larkin’s Twig.
There’s nothing like some fresh eyes behind the camera.
Petals 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are now installed up in our new sculpture fields at Hogpen Hill in Woodbury, Connecticut. These Petals are much more scattered over the open land compared to the installation of Petals 1-3 in our old fields. The scattered Petals hold together because of their bright contrast to the land. Of course the negative spaces generated by the scattered Petals differ from those of the tightly spaced petals.
Below, we see Abby, Anna, and Zerlina in relation to Petals 4, 5, and 6. The distance between the near and far Petals is about 500 feet. For comparison, the next picture shows the close-together Petals 1, 2, and 3.