The ''Wind Wand'' is a 48-metre kinetic sculpture located in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The sculpture includes a 45-metre tube of red fibreglass, and was made to designs by artist

Len Lye Leonard Charles Huia Lye (; 5 July 1901 – 15 May 1980) was a New Zealand artist known primarily for his experimental films and kinetic sculpture. His films are held in archives including the New Zealand Film Archive, British Film Institute, Mu ...

. To residents, it is one of the main icons of New Plymouth. During the night, the ''Wind Wand'' lights up. Costing over $300,000 it was originally installed in December 1999 along with the Coastal Walkway, it had to be taken down within weeks. After repairs it was reinstalled in June 2001. The red fibreglass tube stands vertical in still air, but bends in the wind. On 17 September 2017, the Wind Wand was struck by lightning.

Materials

The ''Wind Wand'' is constructed out of fibreglass and carbon fibre. It weighs around 900 kg and has a diameter of 200 mm. The ''Wind Wand'' can bend at least 20 m. The red sphere on the top contains 1,296 light-emitting diodes.

References

External links

Official website
(archived) Buildings and structures in New Plymouth Fiberglass sculptures 1999 sculptures Kinetic sculptures Outdoor sculptures in New Zealand {{Sculpture-stub

Materials

See also

References

External links