Art Meets Science at Dedication of 'Super Twister' Sculpture

The world of art met the world of science Thursday, April 10, with the dedication of "Super Twister,” the eye-catching artwork by New York sculptor Alice Aycock that occupies a prominent spot near the entrance to the CARE/Crawley Building.

In fact, Aycock said in a presentation in the Medical Sciences Building, the two worlds have plenty in common, dating back to the Renaissance and artist/scientists such as Leonardo da Vinci.

"There is something about both artists and scientists that is still very much the same in my mind,” she said, "and that is curiosity and the ability to wonder about things that most people take for granted, and to start to question something where someone else might say, ‘Well, why would you think about that?’

"And I think artists and scientists *do* think about that and *do* experiment and wonder because they just want to find out—they just want to try something or investigate something and see what happens.”

"Super Twister,” which features ribbons of brushed aluminum wrapping around each other for a whirlwind effect, received funding under Ohio’s Percent for Art legislation, which requires that 1 percent of the total capital appropriation for new or renovated public buildings costing more than $4 million be provided for the acquisition, commissioning and installation of works of public art. In the case of the CARE/Crawley Building, $278,000 was allocated.

Aycock’s proposal was the winner of a competition administered by the Ohio Arts Council that drew 70 applicants. UC’s Percent for Art Committee was charged with selecting the winning artist. 

During the selection process, Aycock told the committee that the ribbons create a sense of movement and excitement, symbolic of a whirlwind of intellectual energy and inquiry and suggesting a dynamo of scientific innovation.

Thomas Boat, MD, dean of the College of Medicine and UC vice president for health affairs, called "Super Twister” "a really stunning piece of art on our medical campus” and said it will serve as "a reminder on a daily basis to us of what we’re all about.”

A reception in the CARE/Crawley Atrium’s Dr. Stanley and Mickey Kaplan Reception Hall followed the dedication, with attendees invited to view "Super Twister” from all angles—including a fourth-floor conference room with an overhead view.

Later in the day, Aycock gave a presentation on her work, including "Super Twister,” hosted by the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) in the Aronoff Center for Design and Art. DAAP’s dean, Robert Probst, was among the guests at the dedication. Also present was Kristi Nelson, PhD, interim dean of the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.