This summer Kenneth Snelson's "Mozart I" was installed on the front lawn of the Packard Electrical Engineering Building. The stainless steel beauty previously resided outside of Meyer Library, where it was installed in 1983.

Snelson's sculptural works are composed of flexible and rigid components arranged according to the idea of floating compression. The height and strength of Snelson's sculptures, which are often delicate in appearance, depend on the tension between rigid pipes and flexible cables.

In a 2002 interview, Prof. Jeffrey Schnapp states, "[Snelson's] work is centrally concerned with issues of compression structure, and [his work] represents a very distinctive attempt to bring together the realm of engineering, sciences, and the art of sculpture."

A second Snelson sculpture, "Six #1" can be experienced at the Li Ka Shing Center.

Snelson's works are in permanent collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Whitney Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Stanford University.

Photo credits to Chet Frost.

Sources:

• kennethsnelson.net
• Kenneth Snelson, Wikipedia
• Stanford University Searchworks