Chaos I facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chaos I |
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| Year | 1974 |
| Dimensions | 910 cm (360 in) |
| Location | The Commons, Columbus, Indiana |
| 39°12′06.8″N 85°55′18.4″W / 39.201889°N 85.921778°W | |
| Owner | Columbus Park and Recreation Department |
Chaos I is a really cool type of art called kinetic art. This means it's art that moves! It was created by a Swiss artist named Jean Tinguely. You can find it inside The Commons, a public space in downtown Columbus, Indiana, United States.
This amazing artwork was asked for by J. Irwin Miller, his wife Xenia Miller, and E. Celementine Tangeman in late 1971. They wanted it for The Commons, which was designed by architect Cesar Pelli. People often just call the artwork Chaos or sometimes Chaos No.1.
Contents
Discovering Chaos I: A Moving Sculpture
Chaos I is a huge sculpture! It stands 30 feet tall, which is like a three-story building. It also weighs 3 tons, which is as heavy as a small truck. When it was first built, it had 12 motors that made 13 different parts move.
Tinguely designed Chaos I to have a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality. This means it can be quiet and peaceful sometimes, with only a few parts moving. Other times, all its parts work together, making it noisy and loud! Visitors get to experience both sides of its personality.
How Chaos I Was Built
Chaos I was made using both new and recycled materials. Many of these materials were bought right in Columbus, Indiana. For example, the scrap metal came from Kroot Corporation. The big bearing at the bottom was from Southern Machine, Inc.
Many of the spinning metal shapes were made by Noblitt Fabricating. Even the original 12 motors that make the sculpture move were provided by Daniel-Hayden Electric Co. It was truly a community effort to create this unique artwork.
The Story Behind Chaos I
The architect who designed The Commons building, Cesar Pelli, really wanted a special sculpture in the middle of the space. He thought a moving sculpture by Jean Tinguely would be perfect. Thanks to the kindness of two families in Columbus, the Millers and the Tangemans, this idea became real.
Pelli imagined an artwork that would be a fun meeting spot. He wanted it to surprise visitors with its movements. Tinguely was Pelli's top choice because he had just finished a similar moving sculpture called Heureka in Zurich, Switzerland.
Building Chaos I in Columbus
The Chaos I sculpture was actually built right in Columbus, Indiana. Jean Tinguely and his assistant, Josef Imhof, worked on it from 1973 to 1974. They built the artwork in a shop that used to be the Southern Machine Company, located in the old Columbus Pump House building.
Many people from Columbus helped out. They provided the materials and shared their skills. This help was important for building, moving, and then setting up the artwork. Chaos I has been in the same spot ever since it was first installed.
Chaos I Today
The Commons building was updated and rebuilt in 2011 by Koetter Kim & Associates. But don't worry, the Chaos I sculpture stayed right where it was during all the construction! It was turned back on and started moving again on June 4, 2011.
