This original sculpture was selected by jury to be featured in the art exhibit
Kites: Art Takes Flight organized by the Main Line Art Center in honour of
Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday in 2006. The sculpture was
installed in a public outdoor space from April 9th to October 14th 2006
and auctioned off in a fundraiser. A description of the auction event is available
on Don Polec's report on 6ABC News WPVI-TV/DT Philadelphia, USA.
This Benjamin Franklin kite sculpture was sponsored by Brandywine Realty Trust.
Ben in the Sky with Inventions ©2005 Falconer/Gunasegaram
Height of Kite Body: 27
inches Tail of the Kite: 33
inches
TOTAL HEIGHT: 60
inches (5 feet)
TOTAL WEIGHT OF ENTIRE KITE SCULPTURE: 0.5 or ½ lb.
(pound)
MATERIALS: Wind-tolerant and wind-tested sturdy nylon fabric, fiber glass, nylon thread, acrylic paint, triple layer of clear acrylic glaze
The images on the kite depict Benjamin Franklin’s
face (as
seen in reproductions of his portrait at the Smithsonian Museum)
with cartoons
of his four major inventions reading from left to right and top to
bottom on
the kite:
(1)
an
odometer he used to attach to his carriage to measure postal routes (2)
the
widely-used (in his day)
(3)
bifocals (4)
lightning
bells
The body of the kite further includes an image of a hot-air
balloon.
Franklin