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Description:
Thousands of one-inch diameter glass marbles were placed into the
corrugated sheet metal decking of the marquee above the Tempe Center
for the Arts’ main entrance. The marbles are mounted into holes that
are spaced four-inches on center and sealed with water-clear
silicone sealant. An array of small mirrors mounted on stainless
steel cables so that they move in the wind and project patterns of
moving light onto the marbles. The marbles light up like bulbs when
these spots of sunlight hit them. The effect is like waves of
electrical energy traveling through the marquee revealing the
complex and beautiful patterns of the wind. At night, spotlights
integrated into the design of the marquee illuminate the marbles.
Funding:
The project was funded through city of
Tempe Capital Improvement Project Percent for Art funds.
Artist biography:
Ned
Kahn's creative impetus began in the San Francisco Bay Area, where
soon after graduating from the University of Connecticut he became
an apprentice to the late Frank Oppenheimer, legendary founder of
the San Francisco Exploratorium. Kahn continued working at the
Exploratorium as an exhibit designer for 10 years, where numerous
works of his are still on display. Other art installations by Kahn
can be found around the Bay Area,
including 14 exhibits at the Chabot Space and Science and "Wind
Portal" at the San Francisco International Airport BART station.
Artist statement: I was inspired
by the image of rain in the desert or the discovery of a pool,
hidden in the rocks of a seemingly dry stream with ripples of light
reflecting onto the stone above…the incongruity of water in the
desert. The title was inspired by the recent discovery that there
are vast amounts of water on the Moon in the form of ice buried
under the surface. In recent years, I have complete a series of
artworks that reveal forces in the environment by converting natural
flow patterns, such as wind, into the pixilated motion of thousands
of small metal parts. I have been calling these artworks ‘detectors’
for they are analogous to the detectors on telescopes and other
scientific devices that reveal the effects of the invisible.
The Tempe public art program is managed by city
of Tempe Cultural Services staff
with input from the Tempe Municipal Arts Commission, a 15-member,
mayor-appointed advisory board.
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