Client: City of Goodyear

Overview

Concentric movements whirl high above the viewers/participants - powered by a massive swinging counterweight pendulum below and supported by two arching columns. The metallic arcs rotate in chaotic yet comprehensible ways, each tracing out spherical volumes in the sky in reference to the earliest celestial models. Colored translucent panels throughout the overhead arms filter sunlight and create colored shadows on the ground plane. Two hanging tethers encourage viewers to drive the motion of the work by pulling on the tethers either together or individually. At night, small mirrors placed on each of the overhead arms reflect the light of nearby LEDs - casting a glittering, dancing light show downward at your feet as the arms move above.

Goals

Soaring at 32' high, Chasing the Stars is an interactive/kinetic sculptural landmark that upholds innovation and contributes to a dynamic public environment. The monumental sculpture is the culmination of refined geometries, physics, material, technology, and human interaction. It draws inspiration from simple yet powerful machines such as sailing vessels, catapults, and windmills.
We hope for Chasing the Stars to become a landmark for the Community of Goodyear, Arizona.

Process

Chasing the Stars was inspired by a series of community engagement workshops held with different community groups in Goodyear, Arizona. The sculpture is made from painted steel, permanently sealed bearings, mirrors, and Koda XT. Chasing the Stars begins as a strongly vertical sculpture until it flares outward at its uppermost elements, branching out protectively over the audience and Plaza of Goodyear Recreational Campus. Appropriate safety considerations, extensive engineering, testing, and prototyping are included in its design to limit the force that can be transferred between the sculpture and the audience.