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Victoria Airport gets a new Roulette
Mar 24, 2005
For Immediate Release:
Today, Artist Robert Wise will be assembling a new "Roulette" at Victoria International Airport.
The original artwork was unveiled at Victoria Airport on November 23, 2002. Since that date Robert Wise's artwork has captured the attention of everyone passing through the rotunda.
The initial version of "Roulette" in its inflatable membrane form presented some challenges that were not resolvable. The artist has now created a second version of Roulette, which addresses all the previous problems in an imaginative and creative way.
The spherical element of "Roulette" will remain but will be created with a "tensegrity structure" in place of the inflated form. The term tensegrity structure was coined by R.B. Fuller who along with K. Snelson, was responsible for the early development of the concept in the 1940's.
VAA President Richard Paquette, said the new structure has 20 faces, 30 struts made of light gathering acrylic tubes and 90 stainless steel turnbuckles connected to aircraft cable radiating from the aluminum core. The shape is truly intriguing when the viewer realizes that none of the acrylic tubes are touching.
Robert Wise explained that the art piece represents a system in dynamic equilibrium. He said, I wanted a large simple object to move in a seemingly random weightless way - to be caught in the peripheral vision of people waiting below. The sudden awareness of this huge object gently moving at the edge of their vision might cause a lapse for a second or two, a pause for reflection - I think that's what art should do.
Victoria Kuhl, Chair of the VAA's Art at the Airport Committee said, we are delighted to work with the Artist, Robert Wise on the evolutionary development of this exciting and spectacular art piece.
For more Information contact:
Robert Wise
Phone: (250) 385-6960
Richard Paquette
Victoria Airport Authority
President - CEO
Phone: (250) 953-7500
Victoria Kuhl
Victoria Airport Authority
Chair, Art at the Airport Committee
Phone: (250) 388-5385
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