Anthony Howe is a typical urban dweller whose biography is full of references to places like Manhattan or Seattle. And yet it was he, who grew up in the stone jungle, who managed to find mutual language with the forces of nature, making them allies in his work. Wind is the main component, without which Howe's sculptures simply could not exist.
As you may have guessed, Anthony Howe is engaged in the creation of kinetic sculptures, that is, those that can move. This trend in art arose not so long ago - in the mid-50s of the last century, and as additional example you can recall the works already mentioned on the pages of our blog. However, unlike Jansen's plastic sculptures, our hero works with metal, mainly with steel. Using steel rebar combined with forged curvilinear shapes and fiberglass coated discs, Howe creates fantastic sculptures. In calm weather, they surprise with their elegance, and with the slightest breath of wind they set in motion, whirling in a dance that only they can understand and creating an inexplicable secret harmony.
Anthony Howe has been creating kinetic sculptures for about 20 years. "I'm trying to create objects, appearance which will be associated with attributes science fiction just as with biological and astronomical models,” says the author.
Of course, it is pointless to talk about kinetic sculptures, showing them only in photographs. An example of one of Howe's works in motion is in front of you, and you can get acquainted with the rest of his works on the website.
The sculptor was born in 1954 in Salt Lake City (Utah, USA). Anthony Howe started his creative career as an artist and only after moving did New York move from painting to sculpture. The author gained wide popularity in the late 1990s.
© Anthony Howe, 2013. KweeBe . Stainless steel. 4.8 m high × 3 m wide × 3 m deep. 300 kg. 75 connected blades rotating on three shafts. Sold.
Anthony Howe (Anthony Howe, born in 1954 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American sculptor who makes autonomous kinetic sculptures driven by wind power.
After graduating from Cornell University and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Howe began his artistic career from 1979-1985 as an artist. He painted pastoral landscapes in a home he built on a remote mountaintop in New Hampshire. His paintings have been exhibited at the Gallery on the Green in Lexington, Massachusetts.
In 1985, Anthony Howe moved to New York and began to work with kinetic sculptures. In 1994, he moved to Orcas Island in the San Juan Archipelago (Washington), where he again builds a house for himself and opens his own gallery. Howe's work became widely known in the late 1990s.
“For the past 17 years, I have been creating autonomous kinetic sculptures that interact with wind and light. environment. I'm trying to create objects that look like low-tech sci-fi equipment, astronomical or microbiological models. The sculptures are primarily made of stainless steel, driven by forged curvilinear elements or flat discs coated with fiberglass. Multi-shaft carefully balanced shapes, both symmetrical and asymmetrical, create a moving, soothing three-dimensional image of harmony. An outboard motor-reducer is mounted inside the sculptures” Anthony Howe says.
Howe starts with digital simulation, using as software Rhinoceros 3D, then the steel elements of the sculptures are made using plasma cutting and assembled using traditional technologies metal work.
© Anthony Howe, 2013. OCTO 3 . Stainless steel. 7.6 m high × 9.1 m wide × 9.1 m deep. 3200 kg. 16 connected blades rotating on a circular shaft. Withstands wind speeds of 90 mph. Provided various options night illumination. Sold in Dubai, UAE.
Even the lightest breeze is able to set in motion dozens of rotating parts of the sculptures. Howe claims that he pays great attention to testing his sculptures for wind resistance. One way is to attach the sculpture to your Ford F-150 and then drive on the freeway.
© Anthony Howe, 2013. About Face . Stainless steel, copper. 2.2 m high × 1.6 m wide × 1.5 m deep. 100 individually balanced copper panels. Sold.
“I was tired of everything motionless in my visual world» , - explains Howe, who considers motionless sculptures to be lifeless.
The path of a true artist always lies through thorns to the stars. So Anthony Howe, before coming to the style that glorified him, was bored for a long time surrounded by a static world. However, it is not surprising: after studying at Cornell University and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (Maine), he built a house in the New Hampshire mountains and painted quite classic pastoral landscapes there for five years. This consciously chosen hermitage seemed necessary in those years, all the more early work Anthony received some success and even went to a number of public and private collections. However, at some point, Howe realized that he needed to move on. And he radically changed his place of residence, moving from the wilderness to the craziest and noisiest city in the United States - New York.
Name: Anthony Howe // Born: 1954 // Residence: Eastsound, Washington, USA // Occupation: painter, sculptor // Education: Cornell University, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture // Creative Credo: "I strive to animate statics of the world around me.
But there, in New Hampshire, Howe gained experience - every day watching the wind sway the leaves of trees, he realized that nature can be imitated in metal. And in 1989, at the age of 35, Howe made his first kinetic sculpture, hanging its metal elements from dismantled elevator cables strung between buildings. By the way, in an interview, Anthony admits that he first turned to kinetic sculpture, falling in love with a model girl, and made a metal heart to attract her attention. Alas, the beauty's heart did not melt, and in general, as it seemed to Howe, she considered him crazy. Probably, then she had to greatly regret that she missed such a romantic.
My Father's Influence ("Influence of my father"). 256 mirrors connected to a drive mechanism and moving according to a certain algorithm. The mechanism, in turn, is set in motion by the wind.
wind technology
The combination of wildlife and the New York anthill has formed modern style Anthony Howe. His works are light, airy and somehow… environmentally friendly, although they are made of metal. In 1994, Howe moved to Washington State to West Coast USA, built a house and a whole park of his sculptures there. Of course, he works not only for himself - many works are sold to galleries and private customers. Therefore, the surroundings of Howe's workshop can be called a "nursery". Here he makes graceful and strong metal trees from weak seedlings. Which, with every breath of the wind, enliven the space and sound in different voices.
The Factory ("Factory"). A complex system of independent mechanisms driven by the wind. Inside the mechanisms are miniature generators that supply energy to LED flashlights for a nightly display of the sculpture.
Kinetic sculptors fall into two categories. Some work on a whim, others on a whim. Howe belongs rather to the second group. First, he creates a 3D model using CAD systems (in particular, the Rhinoceros 3D program), then cuts out the elements with a plasma cutter, and then painstakingly refines the products, as they would say in Russia, “using a file”, that is, more traditional methods iron work. Main part Howe's sculptures made of stainless steel (however, there are works made of copper and other materials); in addition, as a connecting and decorative elements epoxy resin and fiberglass are used. And of course, electronics: generators, motors, LEDs.
About Face ("About the face"). A system of hundreds of copper plates. Some are freely swayed by the wind, some are powered.
At the beginning of his career, Anthony had to put a lot of effort into modeling the future sculpture, but today he says that thanks to many years of practice, the project appears in his head almost entirely, it remains only to bring it to life. It would seem easy to imagine: Howe strolls through his “park”, watches the swaying of tree branches and the trembling of grass, and he comes up with the ideas of metal plants with ringing, coin-like leaves. But this is a delusion: the sculptor himself claims that most often fresh thoughts visit him at the computer, and the most pleasant part of the process of creating a project - thinking through new movements, actions, sounds - also takes place in a sitting position.
Grid Work ("Grid"). A combination of 24 different mechanisms rotating from the wind in different planes.
It is not enough to come up with an appearance, you also need to calculate and check how the thing will move and sound - especially with strong gusts of wind (weak breaths are checked with a fan). Howe has worked out the test method for a long time: he attaches the test sculpture to his Ford F-150 and rushes along the highway into the wind. I wonder what it looks like on the highway...
Aeolian harp
By their principle of work, Anthony Howe resembles aeolian harps. The Aeolian harp is an instrument that sounds due to the vibrating strings or the wind passing through a specially calculated hole. Aeolian harps are artificial and natural. An artificial harp is usually a resonator box with a hole and strings inside - getting into the harp, the wind passes through the strings, making sounds various heights and loudness depending on the strength of the impulse and the calculation of the master harpist. Aeolian harps were common installations in public parks in the 19th century, and their installation depended on the most frequent wind direction in the area.
Natural eolian harps are usually holes in rocks or free-standing megalithic stones. Passing through such holes, the wind “sings”, but its “melody” is no longer determined by man, but by nature. The most famous aeolian harp in Russia was a wooden string structure driven by a weather vane, built in the 1830s in Pyatigorsk (nowadays only the pavilion has been preserved).
In the iron forest
The sculptor's favorite form is what can be called "trees". On long metal trunks, which can be solid or with their “mesh” reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower, be straight or curvy, various “leaves” are attached - sometimes palm-like, sometimes oval. "Leaves" can be supplemented or replaced by "fruits" - all kinds of balls, bowls, glass bubbles. These "trees" include many of Howe's projects - IBEX, ONTAR, Bubbles ("Bubbles"). The wind blows, the plates sway, the "branches" smoothly rotate along several central axes. You can watch endlessly.
Strong impression produces one of recent works— Octo. On the top of a long thin trunk, stainless steel forms fastened together rotate along a circular axis from the wind, their ends either converge or diverge in the center of the composition. When in contact, the parts emit a slight rattling, and all together resembles either a jellyfish swimming in the sea, or a predatory deep-breathing flower. It is impossible to take your eyes off.
OSTO 3 ("OKTO 3"). Howe's latest work, however, has already been sold in Dubai. A system of abstract steel forms rotating synchronously from the wind relative to a fixed frame.
calling card The sculptor was the project About Face ("About the face") from copper and stainless steel. One hundred individually balanced copper panels are mounted on a framework in the shape of human face. The wind shakes the panels, and ripples go over the face - or it simply changes its expression, suddenly gaining life and rich facial expressions. A noise mechanism made of steel "bowls" is hidden inside the face - it provides the sound of the sculpture. It emits an alarming (or meditative - who cares!) deep rumble, somewhat reminiscent of the sound of wind in a closed pipe or a buzz that is heard if you lightly hit a large bell from the inside.
Once seen, it is impossible to forget the song My Father's Influence (“The influence of my father”). By design, it is similar to the previous one: plates on the frame and a mechanism at the back. Only the plates this time are small square mirrors in the amount of 256 pieces, and the mechanism turns them under the influence of the wind. Reflections of light are reflected in the mirrors, sunbeams are jumping all over the space around.
Spines ("Thorns"). Combination of steel triangles fixed on a rotary axis. Her rotation creates an amazing visual effect- however, this is a feature of most of the works of Anthony Howe.
The Howe Residence and Sculpture Park are easy to find. Kinetic sculptures are hung in the trees along the road as a reference point, against which the "Gallery" sign looks rather pale. You immediately know where you are. However, as the works are sold, the Howe Sculpture Park is being modified, and now it is temporarily closed. It looks like a change of exposure is being prepared.
Fans under hypnosis
Anthony Howe is popular, his works are liked, they are actively bought, and significant role the Internet played a role in the fame of the sculptor (as evidenced by the popularity of Howe's channel on YouTube). Howe has won prestigious kinetic sculpture competitions several times, his metal trees resound in public institutions, in parks, on city streets.
In Cloud Light ("In the light of the clouds"). One of the "serial" Howe trees, the main rotating elements of which are steel disks. The device is driven by the wind.
And while you can get an idea of Howe's work from the videos, their true essence is revealed only in their natural habitat. Some of the fans called Howe's sculptures "techno-magic", as they are able to literally enter the audience into a hypnotic trance. Now, many years later, hundreds of hearts are melting from Anthony's work, and that girl from his youth would definitely not have resisted. But Howe has been married for a long time and makes his sculptures for pleasure and earnings, and the audience finds them themselves, without calls to look, considering Howe is not at all crazy artist, but a real technical magician.
This amazing person can easily be called the master of metal. He masterfully "conducts" steel, forged fittings and alloy wheels. He adds fiberglass to his works, and they are able to move under the breath of the wind. All creations Anthony Howe built on interaction with the environment.
He thinks static is boring and lifeless. Anthony made a kind of revolution: he created kinetic masterpieces, his works are full of movement. All of them are located in the countryside.
The structures spin around their axis, dance to nature and resemble living beings. The giant's face, consisting of iron plates, a composition on the theme of fantasy, windmills strange shapes and objects that look like a time machine. All these spiral works, pendulums and peculiar analogues of the sun move according to a pattern clearly set by the sculptor.
Anthony Howe was born in 1954 in the USA. Long years He was engaged in painting, and then became interested in sculpture. Anthony comprehended the world of wind kinetic sculptures, constantly developing new projects on 3D animation programs. Based on his three-dimensional drawings, he produced original designs. Fame came to him in the 90s. And with the development of the Internet, his work has become popular on all continents.
Anthony Howe has been doing his unusual business for over 20 years! Such experience allows him now to do without sketches and drawings - all objects are born right in his head! Creative inspiration can happen anytime, anywhere, even during a casual walk! Most favorite hobby Anthony - get inspired by a new idea and develop it on a computer.
All his works have balanced axes, which are symmetrically or asymmetrically connected to each other: due to this, a feeling of three-dimensionality is created.
But to make such a moving sculpture, it is not enough just to sit for an hour or two with a compass and a laptop. It is necessary to accurately calculate the direction and strength of the wind, due to which all this reinforcement will move. Most of Anthony Howe's work resembles the instruments of a physical laboratory: mechanisms, gears, spirals.
"I'm trying to create objects whose appearance will be associated with the attributes of science fiction, as well as with biological and astronomical models", - the artist shares his thoughts.
His sculptures are amazing. Howe destroys stereotypes and clearly proves that metal can easily fit into the composition of wildlife, organically moving in its rhythm.
Anthony Howe is a kinetic sculptor based in the village of Eastsound, Washington. The sculptor works mainly with stainless steel. His sculptures come alive with every gust of wind, as if by magic, a fabulous, hypnotizing spectacle.
The video below shows best work Anthony Howe, it is noticeable that facial expressions change with a gust of wind and flashes of light.
Anthony Howe is a typical urban dweller, in whose biography you can find references to such places as Manhattan or Seattle at every turn. And yet it was he, who grew up in the stone jungle, who managed to find a common language with the forces of nature, making them allies in his work. Wind is the main component, without which Howe's sculptures simply could not exist.
OCTO 3 . Stainless steel. 7.6 m high × 9.1 m wide × 9.1 m deep. 3200 kg. 16 connected blades rotating on a circular shaft. Withstands wind speeds of 90 mph. Various options for night illumination are provided. Sold in Dubai, UAE.
Even the lightest breeze is able to set in motion dozens of rotating parts of the sculptures. Howe claims that he pays great attention to testing his sculptures for wind resistance. One way is to attach the sculpture to your Ford F-150 and then drive on the freeway.
About face . Stainless steel, copper. 2.2 m high × 1.6 m wide × 1.5 m deep. 100 individually balanced copper panels.
Howe starts with digital modeling using Rhinoceros 3D software, then the steel elements of the sculptures are plasma cut and assembled using traditional metalworking techniques.
Octo 
Olotron 
In-Out Quotient 
Vlast-O- 
In Cloud Light 
Kinetic Wind Sculpture 
The creation of kinetic sculptures, that is, those that can move, as a direction in art arose not so long ago - in the mid-50s of the last century, and as an additional example, one can recall the works of Theo Jansen. However, unlike Jansen's plastic sculptures, Anthony works with metal, mainly with steel. Using steel rebar combined with forged curvilinear shapes and fiberglass coated discs, Howe creates fantastic sculptures. In calm weather, they surprise with their elegance, and with the slightest breath of wind they set in motion, whirling in a dance that only they can understand and creating an inexplicable secret harmony.
Anthony Howe has been creating kinetic sculptures for about 20 years. "I'm trying to create objects whose appearance will be associated with the attributes of science fiction as well as with biological and astronomical models," - says the author.
The sculptor was born in 1954 in Salt Lake City (Utah, USA). Anthony Howe began his creative career as an artist and only after moving to New York moved from painting to sculpture. The author gained wide popularity in the late 1990s.
Spine Tower
