Terminal 2

Boarding Area D - Level 2
Butterfly Wall, Charles Sowers

Butterfly Wall 2011

Charles Sowers
b.
Mechanical butterflies, motors and custom electronics
144 in. x 144 in. x 12 in.
SFAC 116
SFAC

Creating a delightful dance of rising and falling mechanical “butterflies,” Butterfly Wall is an interactive kinetic sculpture controlled by ten visitor-operated hand cranks. When cranked, the 20 butterflies continuously descend their belts at a rate dictated by the air resistance of their spinning iridescent wings. Cranking faster than the descent rate of the butterflies causes them to rise towards the ceiling; cranking slower than this rate causes the butterflies to flutter back down or hover in one place.