Whirling Wind Koan

1970

59.3 x 19.4 cm

India ink on paper

Two ink drawings for a projected sculpture, which would fulfil the function of an electrical generator for a small town.

The wind causes the sculpture to spin, pumping water into a reservoir, thus generating electricity.

Wind was to enter the conical centre of the sculpture spiralling into a vortex, which would increase the mph of the wind and potential energy to be taken from it.

Made of a succession of flaps or wings which would catch the wind, these wings were meant to have a number of slits shaped in different ways so that as the wind passes through them, the whole sculpture would emit sounds. The idea being to provide a small town with energy on two levels: practical energy for physical needs and lyrical or spiritual energy for psychic needs.

We spend much of our time working to provide ourselves with practical energy, the kind we can use, but very little time is spent on large-scale manifestation and absorption of psychic energy.