Science Spectrum - Columbus, Ohio - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Science Spectrum is an abstract kinetic outdoor sculpture made of a tall steel post with other smaller steel poles "branching" out from it, and then steel "leaves" randomly sprout out from them, as they form a tree-like shape. The entire sculpture spins when it is blown by the wind, and then the "leaves" spin individually, displaying the full color spectrum as they catch the sunlight. The sculpture is signed Bill Wainwright.

Text from the plaque at the sculpture:

Science Spectrum
Sculptor: William Wainwright - 1991
This kinetic sculpture celebrates Isaac Newton's discovery that
sunlight, or white light, is made up of the whole ranged of colors
that our eyes can detect. We can see this visible spectrum of
colors when sunlight bends through raindrops to form a rainbow,
or reflects off the surface of diffraction grating. Each wind driven
element on the Science Spectrum has a diffraction grating
attached to the reflective coating. The diffraction grating has 20,000
etched lines per inch, which cause the individual colors to spread
out. This happens in nature when we see the colors in a soap
bubble, an oil slick or the iridescence on a butterfly wing.

TITLE: Science Spectrum ARTIST(S): Wainwright, William H., 1924-2012 DATE: August 1991 MEDIUM: Stainless steel with diffraction gratings and mylar patches. CONTROL NUMBER: IAS OH000003 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: At the entrance of COSI Center of Science and Industry Museum 333 W. Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215 DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: none

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