Fluttering

by Ned Kahn



A long sheet of silk is suspended by curtain of air from a blower. The flowing shapes of the air currents are revealed in the movement of the silk. Viewers can rotate an aluminum vane that creates large scale air vortices that can be seen in the fluttering silk.

 

Dimensions: 53 " x 72" x 30" Weight: 300 lbs.

Artist's Comments: The confluence of science and art has fascinated me throughout my career. For the last fifteen years, I have developed a body of work inspired by atmospheric physics, geology, astronomy, and fluid motion. I strive to create artworks that enable viewers to observe and interact with natural processes. I am less interested in creating an alternative reality than I am in capturing, through my art, the mysteriousness of the world around us.


  
My artworks frequently incorporate flowing water, fog, sand, 
and light to create complex and continually changing systems. 
Many of these works can be seen as "observatories" in that they 
frame and enhance our perception of natural phenomena. I am 
intrigued with the way patterns can emerge when things flow. 
These patterns are not static objects, they are patterns of 
behavior-recurring themes in the repertoire of nature.