George Rickey
Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III, 1970
Stainless steel
Wichita State University Purchase with Student Government Association funds
Although George Rickey’s Two Lines Oblique Down, Variation III is made of steel, its true medium is time and motion. Wind is the motor that powers this kinetic piece. The work changes as it moves: sometimes a line occludes the crossbeam; sometimes the lines appear horizontal or diagonal, rather than down.
Rickey said of his work, “Since the design of the movement is paramount, shape, for me, should have no significance.”
Rickey was inspired to make kinetic sculpture after seeing Alexander Calder’s mobiles, like the one entitled Elements Demontables, located in the lobby of the Bank of America Financial Center, here in Wichita. Unlike Calder, however, Rickey doesn’t use organic elements. Rickey learned to weld in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, and his technical skill and admiration for engineers and architects can be seen in his spare, linear forms. The artist based this work on the scientific principle of the pendulum, although its movements aren’t as regular as clockwork.