Needle Tower
Encyclopedia
Needle Tower is a public artwork by American
sculptor Kenneth Snelson
located outside of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
in Washington, DC, United States
.
The aluminum tubes push, held together by the stainless steel wire threaded through in the ends of the tubes.
The structure style displayed is known as "tensegrity
," a description given by Snelson's former professor Buckminster Fuller
to the melding of tension
and structural integrity. According to Snelson:
. According to Snelson, his works are not symbolic and it's common to see six-pointed stars in his work. In "Needle Tower" the six pointedness comes from the natural geometry of the three compression struts that make up each layer. Sets of three alternate with left and right helical module they add up to six when you look upwards into the tower.
in 1971, the piece resides in the museums sculpture garden.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sculptor Kenneth Snelson
Kenneth Snelson
Kenneth Snelson is a contemporary sculptor and photographer. His sculptural works are composed of flexible and rigid components arranged according to the idea of 'tensegrity', although Snelson does not use the term....
located outside of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
in Washington, DC, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Description
This very tall abstract sculpture depicts a tapering tower that is made of aluminum and stainless steel.The aluminum tubes push, held together by the stainless steel wire threaded through in the ends of the tubes.
Tensegrity
Snelson's unique sculpture style is well articulated in "Needle Tower".The structure style displayed is known as "tensegrity
Tensegrity
Tensegrity, tensional integrity or floating compression, is a structural principle based on the use of isolated components in compression inside a net of continuous tension, in such a way that the compressed members do not touch each other and the prestressed tensioned members delineate the...
," a description given by Snelson's former professor Buckminster Fuller
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
to the melding of tension
Tension (mechanics)
In physics, tension is the magnitude of the pulling force exerted by a string, cable, chain, or similar object on another object. It is the opposite of compression. As tension is the magnitude of a force, it is measured in newtons and is always measured parallel to the string on which it applies...
and structural integrity. According to Snelson:
Tensegrity describes a closed structural system composed of a set of three or more elongate compression struts within a network of tension tendons, the combined parts mutually supportive in such a way that the struts do not touch one another, but press outwardly against nodal points in the tension network to form a firm, triangulated, prestressed, tension and compression unit.
Symbolism
Much has been said about the geometric shapes seen in Snelson's works. Looking up from the inside of "Needle Tower" one may see the Star of DavidStar of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
. According to Snelson, his works are not symbolic and it's common to see six-pointed stars in his work. In "Needle Tower" the six pointedness comes from the natural geometry of the three compression struts that make up each layer. Sets of three alternate with left and right helical module they add up to six when you look upwards into the tower.
Conservation
In April 2010 conservation work was completed on the sculpture by the Hirshhorn Museum. It took 15 staff members to stand the tower up-right after conservation completion.Needle Tower II
A second Needle Tower was completed in 1968, Needle Tower II, and was acquired by the Kröller-Müller MuseumKröller-Müller Museum
The Kröller-Müller Museum is an art museum and sculpture garden, located in the Hoge Veluwe National Park in Otterlo in the Netherlands.-Museum:...
in 1971, the piece resides in the museums sculpture garden.
External links
- Curious Skeletons by NASA
- "Needle Tower" on CMU 3rd Year Studio
- Hirshhorn's collection entry
- Installation video by the Hirshhorn of the sculpture being lifted upright
- Metal Sculpture by Kenneth Snelson on Mathematical paintings and sculptures
- "Needle Tower" assembly animation by Snelson
- "Needle Tower" on Kenneth Snelson's website
- "Needle Tower" on Grunch Net
- Waymarking Entry for "Needle Tower"
- "Tensegrities" Jan Marcus