WIND & WIRE - Kinetic Sculpture
SEASON 6 | PROJECT 3/41 | 01.06.25
MODULE: Sculpture | GRADE LEVELS: 1 - 6 | DURATION: 1 Hour
ARTIST VIDEO
PROJECT VIDEO
Video Editing by Jorge Davies, Graphics by Melissa Sabol
OVERVIEW
For this project, students will design their own kinetic sculptures using a few simple materials: rocks, sticks, wire, tin foil, and foam. “Kinetic” refers to movement or motion, and students will use their engineering minds to experiment with balance, weight, and structure. Through hands-on exploration and trial-and-error, they will construct artful sculptures that sway, spin, teeter, and move in response to forces like wind and gravity. Students will discover how art can blend creativity with physical science to bring their sculptures to life.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
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Combines Art and Engineering. Students explore the intersection of creativity and physics, learning to think like both artists and engineers as they design dynamic sculptures.
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Hands-On Problem-Solving. Using trial and error, students experiment with materials such as rocks, wire, and foil to understand physical properties like weight, balance, and motion.
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Explores Movement in Art. Kinetic sculptures introduce students to art that moves, inspiring students to create sculptures that respond to external forces like wind or touch and engage with concepts like chance and unpredictability.
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Encourages Creativity and Innovation. By transforming simple materials into moving sculptures, students unlock their ability to see extraordinary potential in ordinary objects.
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Connects to Nature and Design. Inspired by artist Steve Rieman, the project emphasizes the relationship between natural and manmade materials. Students explore contrasts between organic shapes, representing nature, and geometric forms, reflecting human design.
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Teaches Core Concepts Through Play. Students engage with foundational principles of physics, such as gravity, fulcrums, surface area, and distribution, in a playful, hands-on way that connects art and science.
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Develops Fine Motor Skills. Manipulating materials like wire and foil builds precision and control, helping students refine their fine motor skills.
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Explores Form, Function, and Balance. Students examine how the shape, weight, and placement of materials impact stability and movement, blending aesthetic design with structural functionality.
MATERIALS
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Rock(s) - golf ball size
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Stick(s)
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Floral Wire - 18 gauge
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Foil
Optional:
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Styrofoam balls
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Canary Cardboard Cutter
FEATURED ARTIST
STEVE RIEMAN
Steven and Ruth Rieman moved to the high desert in March 1979, building their home on the edge of the Pipes Canyon Wash. Steve, who studied design at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA, embraced the lesson his professors instilled: “A good designer can design anything.” Inspired by this philosophy, the couple launched a creative venture called “Projects Unlimited,” dedicating their lives to design in the desert. Over time, they narrowed their focus to Steve’s sculptures and design projects they were truly passionate about, adopting the motto: “Steve makes things, and Ruth makes things happen.”
Steve’s sculptures are visual poems, exploring humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Together, Steve and Ruth have pursued a mission to raise awareness about our environmental impact, a theme deeply woven into their art, design, and even the construction of their property.
ARTISTS TO KNOW
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor from Pennsylvania, born into a family of artists. His father was a renowned sculptor, and both his grandfather and mother were talented artists. Calder, often called “Sandy,” became famous for inventing wire sculptures and the mobile. His playful kinetic sculptures embrace the concept of chance, with unpredictable movements primarily driven by air currents. Today, Calder is celebrated as one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century, with his works displayed in museums and public spaces around the world.
Agnès Varda. Alexander Calder with 21 feuilles blanches (1953), Paris, 1954. © 2015 Calder Foundation, New York / DACS, London
George Rickey
George Rickey was an American artist from Indiana who grew up learning about mechanical systems from his father and grandfather, both of whom were engineers. These early lessons inspired him to create kinetic sculptures, often large-scale geometric abstractions designed to move gracefully with the air. Rickey described his work as an exploration of movement, saying, “The object was for the pieces to perform as they could, and I wanted their movement to be slow, unhampered, deliberate—but at the same time unpredictable.” His sculptures transformed steel into a poetic medium, blending art, engineering, and the natural forces of wind.
George Rickey at work, East Chatham, NY, 1965. Courtesy of the George Rickey Foundation.
Jean Tinguely
Jean Tinguely was a Swiss artist best known for his kinetic sculptures, or moving machines, called Métamatics. These fascinating machines could create automatic drawings, raising questions about the role of artists, viewers, and even the artwork itself in the creative process. Tinguely also made hanging sculptures powered by motors, known as “Méta-mécaniques,” which moved in surprising and playful ways. One of his most famous works was a sculpture designed to self-destruct in front of a live audience at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Although it didn’t fully destroy itself as planned, the dramatic event ended with the fire department extinguishing its flames!
Jean Tinguely. Homage to New York, 1960
Kinetic Art, Nouveau Réalisme. Performance art. ©Jean Tinguely.
VOCABULARY
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Balance: When something stays steady and doesn’t fall over. In art, balance can also mean making sure all the parts of a sculpture look and feel just right.
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Base: The bottom part of something that holds it steady.
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Distribution: How weight or materials are spread out. If a sculpture has too much weight on one side, it might tip over.
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Dynamic: Full of energy or movement.
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Fulcrum Point: The point where something balances or pivots like the point in the middle of a teeter-totter on a playground.
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Geo-Kinetic: Something that moves and connects to the Earth (“geo” means Earth). Geo-kinetic sculptures might move with natural forces like wind, water, or gravity.
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Geometric Shape: Shapes made with straight lines and angles, like circles, squares, or triangles. They’re the kinds of shapes you see in buildings and math class.
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Gravity: The force that pulls things down toward the ground.
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Kinetic: Something that moves or is related to motion, like sculptures that sway in the wind or spin around.
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Movement: The force that pulls things down toward the ground.
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Organic Shape: Curvy, natural shapes, like the outline of a leaf or a cloud. They’re not perfect or made with rulers.
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Stability: When something stays in place and doesn’t move too much.
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Static: Something that stays still, like a statue.
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Volume: How much space something takes up. A big sculpture might have a lot of volume, while a tiny sculpture has less.