A work of art created by Tim Prentice for the Selby Public Library “In my current work in kinetic sculpture, I am trying to concentrate on the movement, rather than the object. I take it as an article of faith that the air around us moves in ways which are organic, whimsical, and unpredictable. I therefore assume that if I were to abdicate the design to the wind, the work would take on these same qualities. "The engineer in me wants to minimize friction and inertia to make the air visible. The architect studies matters of scale and proportion. The navigator and sailor want to know the strength and direction of the wind. The artist wants to understand its changing shape. "Meanwhile, the child wants to play.” – Tim Prentice Artist Tim Prentice describes the Selby Public Library’s dome as a metaphor for the sky and the moving banners as metaphors for clouds. Or perhaps, he suggests, the metaphor is of schools of swimming fish. Or perhaps, the metaphor is your own, after spending time watching the mobile. Prentice, a sculptor and an architect, closely studied the Library’s architecture and engineering systems to determine, in general ways, how air will move in the building. Based on his understanding of how air currents are created by the air conditioning system, the opening of the building’s doors, and the movement of people within the building – and based on his experience creating mobiles in other buildings around the country – he designed this unique work of art. Four pairs of triangular banners hang in the central domed space. The low and the high banner of each pair catches the light and the air currents in different ways, yet always in relationship to each other. Each of the eight banners is made of lightweight aluminum plates that are linked together so the forms curve and undulate. Each of the hundreds of plates is slightly curved to catch and reflect the natural light from the oculus above and the artificial light below. Can you detect patterns of motion? Does the mobile move differently at different times of day? Does it move more at busy times of day? How does the speed of the motion affect the way the banners move? How does light on a bright, sunny day – or an overcast, cloudy day – affect the mobile? Discovery, whimsy, chance, and the unexpected are all part of Prentice’s mobiles.