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[Video] Anthony Howe's Kinetic Wind Sculptures Pulse And Hypnotize

You can put metal on a table and wind will knock it off. But if you want art to spin at one knot it's a bit harder.
The Creators Project linked up with Anthony Howe, an Eastsound, WA-based painter and sculpture artist to highlight his work in the medium of surreal kinetic wind sculpture that are initially designed in 3D software.

"I was bored with everything being static in my visual world," Howe told us. In other words, he believes sculptures don't have to be stoic designs that are lifeless. Howe creates art that lives and moves with nature, and his metal cut-outs give the impression of dancing, real-world screensavers.

The artist walked us through the workflow of how his pieces go from 3D models that he designs on his desktop to CAD designs made through Rhinoceros 3D. These designs are then laser cut using a plasma cutter before he meticulously crafts the structures using traditional metal work processes.

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To make sculptures as hypnotic as Howe, you have to be a somewhat odd fellow and think big, think weird. During our interviews with him, he shared these shaman-esque nodes of wisdom that were too sharp not to include.

Get enlightened by Anthony Howe first with GIFs of his kinetic sculptures, but pair the vortex-like visuals with these quotes about art commerce, creation and innovation. Chanting these quotes to yourselves is encouraged to get the full effect of their transcendence.

"I first got into sculpture because I was attracted to a beautiful model from the Ford agency. I made her a metal heart, but she probably thought I was a jerk. It didn’t work."

"It shocked me that my art became somewhat viral online. I never thought the internet could do that. The video revolution that is occurring is like a godsend to my work. It moves."

"You have to spend 10 or 15 years so they’ll hold together and look good. Intuitively, I have to guess what will happen if the wind gets really strong. I try to overbuild my work. The best way to test it is to bolt one of the sculptures to my Ford F-150 and drive down the freeway. You can put metal on a table and wind will knock it off. But if you want art to spin at one knot then it's a bit harder."

"At this point, I can completely design things in my head. I don’t even draw them. I can see them in my head. I go on long walks and imagine the shapes. If you do something for 20-30 years, you can write things in your head. You can visualize a whole plot line."

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"If I could put my work at any location, I’d place it Storm King sculpture park. Another place would be this new park in Seattle that has a bunch of big-named artists. I want to be around my contemporaries."

"My favorite part of the process is absolutely discovering a new idea, a new movement. It’s usually on the computer or a combination of realizing something in my head and doing it on the computer. But that’s unequivacobly the most satisfying, pleasureable goose-bump feeling."

Howe also told us that he'll be bringing a sculpture out to Burning Man next year that will be "the largest kinetic wind sculpture in the world." It's 30 feet wide, 30 feet deep, and 25 feet high, requiring an 18-wheeler to ship the behemoth to the desert utopia. Check out a video of the structure below.

To see more of the artist's near-magical creations, check out Anthony Howe's YouTube channel.

Images courtesy of Anthony Howe, GIFs by Jordan Kinley.

 @zachsokol