A group gets a look at Chaos I in The Commons.
When the kinetic sculpture Chaos I electronically awakens occasionally from its slumber, Shanda Sasse loves to see it also awaken a sense of family togetherness among those who see it whimsically whir and clang its way through its motions.
“It’s great to see all the sights and the sounds,” said Sasse, manager at The Commons, home to the seven-ton piece since its dedication in May 1974. “The little kids still get really excited about that.
“And it truly becomes a multi-generational experience. You’ll often see a child’s parents or grandparents telling stories about when (Swiss sculptor) Jean Tinguely was in town and putting it together, or how an uncle might have helped him in some way.
“It’s just always really cool to see that multi-generational connection.”
Those kind of connections can be made anew when The Commons hosts the free event 50 Years of Chaos! from noon to 2 p.m. May 18 at 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
Tinguely’s 30-foot-tall piece is a focus of the regular, free Chaotic Tuesdays that The Commons has hosted for several years since the piece’s movement was restored. Those gatherings, which are generally the only time the piece’s power is turned on, normally attract about 50 to 75 people, according to Sasse.
“We wanted to give people who haven’t been able to be here on Tuesdays the chance to see it in its full glory,” Sasse said.
She figures a Saturday afternoon will probably draw a different group than a Tuesday evening.
“We’re actually hoping for a pretty big crowd,” Sasse said.
The Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives will have a special display set up about the piece’s history and there will be children’s crafts. One of the piece’s old metal balls will be on display, since it was removed when it was discovered that the piece actually worked better with one fewer such spheres.
Also on hand will be the sculpture’s original motherboard and Tinguely’s toolbox. Plus, one of Tinguely’s old jumpsuits that he wore during construction also will be on display.
“It’s pretty dirty,” Sasse said, “but we’ve got it.”
