Free Ride Home A look at the sculpture by Kenneth Snelson

Presentation by Liza Pennington, Brenda Aguliar, Sydney Gabay, and Alexa Fuerst

Kenneth Snelson• Born in 1927 in

Pendleton, Oregon (86 years old)

• Studied at the University of Oregon in Eugene, as well as

at Black Mountain College, and in Paris, with Fernand Léger.

Snelson’s work is what he likes to call floating compression. The formal name for his style of work is called tensegrity, which combines the

words tension and structural integrity.Below: Rainbow Arch, 2001

While Snelson was studying Black Mountain College, he took a class taught by a professor named Buckminster Fuller. The

class was originally an architecture class, but it covered a wide range of topics, including art and math. Of these topics, Snelson’s favorite was Energetic Geometry, and this was the

topic that really started the spark that would later on become his floating compression sculptures. Snelson says he

thought the topic was, “fresh, a bit mystical, and fascinating,” (http://kennethsnelson.net/faq/) which reflects

the way his work looks today, as his kind of art is unique and something not seen very often. You can definitely see many

aspects of geometry in his sculptures, as well as contemporary art that to this day continues to fascinate

viewers and evoke mystery.

Slides completed by Sydney Gabay

Kenneth Snelson, the artist of many famous sculptures, including Free Ride Home, constantly used the same materials for all of his sculptures. 

In his piece, Free Ride Home, he seemed interested in creating triangles.  To create these,

he used only metal poles and wires.  He purposely positioned each part into vast triangles, and even

the bases create a triangle.  Overall, Snelson is interested in exploring different shapes made only

of metal with pipes and wires.

Slide by Alexa Fuerst

Photograph by Alexa Fuerst

“Free Ride Home” is elevated on a huge grassy area full of bumpy terrain, making it easy to see from a distance. Although Stormking

is full of artwork, this piece has few neighboring sculptures. Standing alone in a somewhat hidden opening, the viewer is

drawn in to the magic of this piece. Having few distractions nearby enforces the importance of this sculpture, and the empty field

urges the viewer to observe it from all different angles. Up close, the triangular patterns formed by the rods may almost seem

repetitive, but the benefit of its spacious location is the strong urge to take a step back. Therefore, after walking up a small hill

and looking downwards, the sculpture looks refreshingly complete and helps the viewer get a perspective of its entirety. To further emphasize its significance, the sun beams on “Free Ride Home,” making it shine and producing a captivating shadow. While other

works lie on a patio or on shaded parts of the property, this sculpture soaks up the sun and sits directly under its rays, almost proving that it deserves to be there. The terrain, solitude, shine,

and countless views of this sculpture all contribute to the massive impact that its landscape and location have on the viewing

experience.

Slide by Liza Pennington

Photos by Liza Pennington

The first thing that I realized when I saw this sculpture was that Snelson connects a detail of the sculpture with

a word from his title, free. When I looked at this sculpture, I noticed that all the wires and silver poles

created open shapes. The sculpture is open so that you are free to come in and even sit below it whenever you

want. Snelson is very interested with this concept of making sculptures open, and you can tell because he has made many more just like Free Ride Home. As a

result of Kenneth's creativity he is very successful and won many awards for his amazing sculptures.

Slide by Brenda Agulair