Materials: steel, N gauge train track and train, steel pan, electric cook tops, water, electrical circuits, polycarbonate plastic, time Size: 6 ft. across, 8 - 10 ft. high The Second Orrery generates a tornado by guiding convection driven air into a spinning motion over a pan of heated water. The air is directed by three baffles arranged at the edge of the pan of heated water. Near the center of the pan, a funnel of warm mist forms just like in a tornado or a water - spout. The ethereal spiral of gasses, the tornado, is reflected in three other spiral forms that constitute the work. The basic torus (doughnut) form is articulated with a self-enclosed double helix, the same form as DNA. The train track that runs on the outside of the torus is also a self-enclosed spiral. The last spiral form is even less corporal than the tornado in that it isn’t seen. It is felt in time through the cyclical behavior of the piece, through the periodic adjustments in lighting coupled with the repetitive journey of the train, and the appearance and disappearance of the tornado. It is a spiral in time.
"Second Orrery"
Dam, Stuhltrager Gallery presents
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Dam, Stuhltrager Gallery presents 
