Chaos I’s winter hibernation is about to come to an end.
On March 18, the kinetic sculpture whirs back to life from noon to 1 p.m. in The Commons for the first Chaotic Tuesday of the year.
Those who attend may participate in craft activities while also learning the history behind this piece of art during the free event.
Built by Swiss artist Jean Tinguely, the 30-foot, 7-ton sculpture was commissioned by J. Irwin, Xenia Irwin Miller and Mrs. Robert Tangeman in 1971 and served as a centerpiece for the Commons space, Commons officials said. Using scrap Tinguely found in local junkyards, the piece features a caged track that steel balls roll down during the peak of the sculpture’s movements.
“There are parts that are loud and parts that are quieter. So most days, we try to run the quieter parts throughout the day and then for our Chaotic Tuesday events, that’s when we turn the balls on,” Commons manager Shanda Sasse said. “It’s a little bit louder so we do that for specific events.”
Sasse said Chaotic Tuesdays have been happening on select Tuesdays throughout the year for around 10 years now. Each Chaotic Tuesday offers a free craft activity for kids, with this upcoming event having kids make flowers from pipe cleaners. Coloring pages will also be available. Attendees will also have a chance to learn about the history of the piece with original publications and photos out on display.
New to this Chaotic Tuesday, Sasse said they will be displaying a small collection of photos from both the original Commons building and the current building. As the building was built on memories, she said it is nice to be able to share those memories with the community, and community members are also welcome to bring copies of their own pictures to share. Sasse said her favorite part of the event is hearing all the stories people have about Chaos I throughout the years.
“It’s a great opportunity to see multi-generational families stop by and the grandparents are super excited to show their grandkids the sculpture and share their stories with their families and then they’ll come up to our information table and share those with us, and we love hearing those stories,” Sasse said. “Some people remember seeing Jean Tinguely working on the sculpture while they were on their lunch break or things like that or they had an uncle that helped him put it together. So it’s wonderful to hear and share all of those stories of everyone’s experience of Chaos I over the years.”
