Artwork copyright Kay Kirkpatrick. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Kay Kirkpatrick. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Kay Kirkpatrick. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Sine Trellis, 2008

Kay Kirkpatrick
American (born 1957)

Location: South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia

About the Artwork

Artist Kay Kirkpatrick's Sine Trellis is based on a simple waveform found in math, physics, and biology. Colored, translucent, acrylic rods climb a cable "ladder" which is like a DNA strand. The three-story, wall-mounted sculpture amplifies the waveform using scale, color, and light. Wavy etched lines on the nearby wall and windows echo the colored acrylic rod and cable sculpture.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with South Puget Sound Community College.

About the Artist

Kay Kirkpatrick's interest in public art grew from her background in ceramics, mixed media sculpture, and installation art. Her artworks emphasize the interaction between humans and nature via intersecting patterns and meanings. Her public art often includes in depth research about the site's context and culture.
Born in Colorado, Kirkpatrick is now based in Seattle. She received a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in ceramics at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She also completed a Master of Library and Information Science degree at the University of Washington in Seattle, because of her interest in research for many of her public art projects.