Artwork copyright Sumi Wu. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Sumi Wu. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Sumi Wu. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Sumi Wu. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Sumi Wu. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Sumi Wu. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Sumi Wu. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Sumi Wu. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Sky Machine, 2007

Sumi Wu
(American, born 1967)

Location: Clark College, Vancouver

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

The suspended Sky Machine sculpture, by artist Sumi Wu, takes gears – mechanical objects that are usually heavy and made of dense materials – and turns them into airy, nearly invisible objects. The function of the gears in Sky Machine is to interact with light and air. Wu reflects that "Perhaps it reflects the urge in each of us to be released from the confines of our physical limits." The gears in Sky Machine also refer to the single gears at the dawn of human technology, as well as to the gears used in the latest technology and in our cars, bicycles, and everyday life.

Sky Machine and its partner artwork "Urgent Messages" were created for buildings at Clark College where Wu herself learned to weld. The artworks reflect the technical nature of the subjects studied in the Applied Arts building complex.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Clark College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Portland, Oregon-based artist Sumi Wu is a sculptor, welder, potter, costume designer, theater set designer, and dancer. Her artworks often focus on ideas about science and technology.

Sumi Wu grew up on a farm in Eastern Washington and in Los Alamos, New Mexico. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese Studies from Stanford University in California, after starting in the physics department. She went on to study pottery, sculpture, and drawing at the University of Alaska and welding at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington.