Edward Lee Hendricks
1992-III, 1992
Stainless steel, aluminum, granite
Museum Purchase
1992-III is an example of kinetic art, that is, art that uses real or illusionary motion. In this case, the sculpture truly moves. The stainless steel blades at the top spin as the wind pushes them. Because this rotation is integral to the piece, time also becomes integral. We can’t apprehend the sculpture in its fullness in one glance, or from a static image like a photograph. Hendricks wants viewers to engage with 1992-III in a different way from a traditional statue. The orbiting blades also respond to their environment. They twirl faster on a windy day, slower on a calm one. On a sunny day, the light glints and sparks off the reflective surface, while an overcast day illuminates them more evenly. The artist also invites you to freely interpret the work. Rather than providing a proscriptive title that might contain a specific narrative or association, he gives a year and a number.