The piece was created with the intention of blending my politics major with my studio art minor. The turbine is a statement on the current state of our nation. It symbolizes the need for the nation to sustain through all the hardships we have been going through lately. The original concept for the turbine was created around the time of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The nation at that point was just starting to feel the effects of the receding economy.
The piece is a combination of sheet metal, copper, and found object. The cone or dome of the turbine is sheet metal with copper strips to mimic the stripes of the flag. Sheet metal was also used to create the blades. Copper accents on the blades, support pole, and base spreads the copper throughout the piece. The base and support pole are found object. The pipe was found in the scrap room of Shafer and had the perfect bend. I wanted to achieve some sort of alteration on the way the dome would fit on the pole from how a real turbine is assembled. This pipe follows the originally intended angle and configuration. The base was a donated umbrella holder filled with concrete to allow for the turbine to stand alone.
Better images that show some detail will follow.
