The digital sculptures of Ken Kelleher
This American artist who studied art at Alfred University learned sculpture from two mentors: Glenn Zweygardt and William Parry. After his studies he worked at…
In a clearing in Italy, hanging from the canopy of trees, you can discover a “reservoir” sculpture signed John Grade Studio. This sculpture is composed of 5000 drops of rain connected by a delicate mesh. All in poetry, this sculpture is used to collect rainwater, giving it a shimmering and moving appearance in osmosis with nature. Each droplet is made of thermoformed plastic wrapped around a steamed Alaska yellow cedar rod connected to a pair of marine nets. The set of droplets form a composition whose volume is constantly changing.
As water or snow accumulates in these droplets, the position of the nets lowers and moves. When this water evaporates, the droplets return to their original shape and the sculpture recovers itself. Due to the springs located under the pulleys, the range of motion is limited because the weight affects the curvature. Thus, the structure was designed so that it always remains at least three meters high.
Weighing 70 kilos when the structure is dry, it can reach more than 100 kilos when water is caught by the droplets, even by light drizzle.
Beyond the performance achieved at the technical level, the sculpture can be manipulated manually to create choreographic movements in symbiosis with nature.
The places benefit from an inclined slope and thus allow the visitors to take advantage of an ideal point of view to marvel in front of this spectacle varying according to the weather.