Team Building (Align)

This work consists of two aluminum rings that appear to be floating in air. The rings cast shadows on the ground below, and the lower ring is offset so that the shadows align perfectly at solar noon on the summer solstice. The concept of the work is to show that collaborative efforts (team building) can combine the efforts of different groups and create a spirit of cohesiveness as they work together. Collaboration not only produces the visible, tangible objects (such as the structure itself) but also intangible, ephemeral effects (such as the aligning shadows).

Silver Creek Engineering checked the overall structure for safety and compatibility with the artistic vision. The structure was designed for long-term exposure to the outdoor environment. In addition to dead weight, the structure can resist 50 year wind loads, a 50 year ice storm, or a 500 year earthquake. The thin profile of the rings and flexible nature of the structure led to concerns over dynamic behavior. We carried out a dynamic analysis that showed that the dynamic behavior of the rings was outside of the characteristic wind loading, so no problems such as the "wind galloping" experienced by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge are expected.