Renaissance (Bakalar)
Encyclopedia
Renaissance is a public artwork by American
artist David Balakar, located at the American Association for the Advancement of Science
in Washington, D.C.
, United States
.
pieces placed upon a stone display. The proper left piece is shaped like an obelisk cut in half placed on the diagonal on the display. It's tip is a gold
triangle. The proper right piece features a granite sphere resting on a triangular shaped pedestal. The tip of the obelisk is close to the sphere, a few inches from touching the ball. It aims towards a gold disk placed on the sphere. The sculpture sits outside the entrance to the building.
before becoming a sculptor. With degrees from Harvard University
and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, science influences his creation process. Founder of Transitron Electronic Corporation, his work specialized in transistor
design and manufacturing, his tenure lasted thirty years before devoting himself to sculpture.
His work is in the collections of MIT, Massachusetts College of Art
, Brandeis University
, Columbia University Law School and others.
Bakalar describes his work: "I've always been fascinated by the codes and molecules that are the Life Force. My sculptures, subject to multiple interpretations, abstractly reflect the complexity of this force and our common identity with all of nature."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist David Balakar, located at the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Description
"Renaissance" consists of two graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
pieces placed upon a stone display. The proper left piece is shaped like an obelisk cut in half placed on the diagonal on the display. It's tip is a gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
triangle. The proper right piece features a granite sphere resting on a triangular shaped pedestal. The tip of the obelisk is close to the sphere, a few inches from touching the ball. It aims towards a gold disk placed on the sphere. The sculpture sits outside the entrance to the building.
Artist
David Bakalar was a physicistPhysicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
before becoming a sculptor. With degrees from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, science influences his creation process. Founder of Transitron Electronic Corporation, his work specialized in transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
design and manufacturing, his tenure lasted thirty years before devoting himself to sculpture.
His work is in the collections of MIT, Massachusetts College of Art
Massachusetts College of Art
Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a publicly-funded college of visual and applied art, founded in 1873. It is one of the oldest art schools, the only publicly-funded free-standing art school in the United States, and was the first art college in the United States to grant an artistic degree...
, Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, Columbia University Law School and others.
Bakalar describes his work: "I've always been fascinated by the codes and molecules that are the Life Force. My sculptures, subject to multiple interpretations, abstractly reflect the complexity of this force and our common identity with all of nature."
Acquisition
The piece was donated in September 1999 by the artist for permanent display at AAAS. It's dedication coincided with an exhibit of Bakalar's work that ran through February 2000 at AAAS.Further reading
- Narayanan, Nisha, Lisa Onaga & Coimbra Sirica. AAAS News and Notes Science. New Series, Vol. 292, No 5521. 2001. p. 1563.