Twisting the sculpture's central protruding knob will bring it to motion.
Artwork Details
Medium
Steel and Plexiglas
Category
Sculpture
Acquisition
Accession
AR2117
Source or Donor
Off the Preserve!
Acquisition Method
Purchase
Made/Created
Artist
Ned Kahn
Date made
1985
Dimensions
Dimension Description
Object
Height
69-1/2 in
Width
51 in
Depth
20 in
Exhibitions
Exhibition
Counter Clockwise
Notes
January 22 - April 11, 2026, di Rosa SF
Exhibition
Ned Kahn: Seed Vortex
Notes
January 11 - March 25, 2018, Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for Arts, Walnut Creek
Exhibition
Collection in Focus: Ned Kahn
Notes
February 3 - April 10, 2016, di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa
Research Notes
Research Type
Curator
Notes
Chaotic Pendulum (1985) consists of four deceptively simple sets of pendulums linked together at human scale. Defying the predictive powers of physics, Kahn's device upends our intuitions and creates a whimsical mechanism that prompts us to come up with our own theories around its movement and capabilities. Visitors are invited to twist the sculpture's central protruding knob to bring the work to life and observe its chaotic, complex, and long-lived motion.
