April 2009. Painted steel. Dimensions: 27 × 35 × 17 ft.
Funambulist was commissioned for Michigan State University in East Lansing and installed at Snyder–Phillips Hall in 2010. Rising approximately thirty feet, the painted-steel sculpture takes its title from the Latin funis, rope, and ambulare, to walk—a funambulist being a tightrope walker. The sweeping red form and long horizontal “balancing baton” suggest a figure poised in space, transforming the mass and weight of steel into an image of balance, movement, and physical agility. JOHN VAN ALSTINE SCULPTURE
The work extends my longstanding interest in the movement of the human body—particularly in dance, gymnastics, skating, and other activities requiring balance and control. Here physical equilibrium also becomes a metaphor for mental agility: the constant adjustments required to negotiate uncertainty and move forward. Situated within the daily activity of the campus, Funambulist connects this precarious but confident balancing act to the challenges, risks, and aspirations of student life. Spartan Stories
April 2009. Painted steel. Dimensions: 27 × 35 × 17 ft.
Funambulist was commissioned for Michigan State University in East Lansing and installed at Snyder–Phillips Hall in 2010. Rising approximately thirty feet, the painted-steel sculpture takes its title from the Latin funis, rope, and ambulare, to walk—a funambulist being a tightrope walker. The sweeping red form and long horizontal “balancing baton” suggest a figure poised in space, transforming the mass and weight of steel into an image of balance, movement, and physical agility. JOHN VAN ALSTINE SCULPTURE
The work extends my longstanding interest in the movement of the human body—particularly in dance, gymnastics, skating, and other activities requiring balance and control. Here physical equilibrium also becomes a metaphor for mental agility: the constant adjustments required to negotiate uncertainty and move forward. Situated within the daily activity of the campus, Funambulist connects this precarious but confident balancing act to the challenges, risks, and aspirations of student life. Spartan Stories
proposal composite image
proposal composite image
Philippe Petit - World Trade Center tower crossing 1974
scale model - steel
construction drawing
construction drawing
fabrication - Chicago
fabrication - Chicago
fabrication - Chicago
installation on MSU campus
