State of Motion

Triefeldt Sculpture on Display at Franklin Institute

The unpredictable artwork of Rein Triefeldt, adjunct professor of art at the College, is now a permanent fixture in the newest exhibit in Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, Sir Isaac’s Loft: Where Art and Physics Collide. The exhibit opened to the public on July 15.

“The exhibit features art work from many different artists and allows visitors to view the beauty of physical phenomena, “said Dennis Wint, president and CEO of the Institute. “This is a very unique way to demonstrate various concepts in physics.”

Working as a kinetic sculpture since 1986, Rein has been creating these interactive pieces of art for a variety of clients, including museums, parks, solar power manufacturers, financial and educational institutions, law firms, government agencies, real-estate developers, architects, and interior design firms. He has installed commissions in North America, Europe, and Asia.

His sculpture for the Franklin Institute, titled “Chaotic Flyers,” is another installment in his ongoing series of works that demonstrate kinetics and energy transfer. The sculpture is comprised of three flyers, or acrobat-shaped figures, which are bronze pendulums connected at a central hub on a stainless steel framework. When the central hub is turned, the entire system is set into motion, and the motion is a completely chaotic and unpredictable trapeze act. The flyers spin around their bars in circles, speeding up and slowing down depending on how much kinetic energy transfers across the stainless steel bars connecting the pendulum flyers. Not only do the flyers spin, but the motion of the framework plays an integral role as it rocks back and forth, aiding in the energy transfer.

“My work is primarily about fun,” said Rein. “I prefer universal themes, things that people can understand and will put a smile on their faces.”

Along with the Franklin Institute, some of his more recent clients have included Cirque du Soleil, for which he created hand-activated kinetic sculptures inspired by the performers, and Hoekstra Solar company (of The Netherlands), where a recent partnership is examining the feasibility of  creating public solar artwork that also functions as a solar energy-producing device. His interest in incorporating solar power into his art began in 2000 with a visit to an engineering lab in Armstrong Hall where, after a meeting with Norm Asper, professor of engineering, he walked away with a small motor and two small solar panels, thus starting to spin the wheels of his next artistic endeavor. Rein’s most recent solar project, the Solar Butterfly, was installed this year at The Wit Gallery in Lenox, MA. The butterfly has a four-foot diameter bronze body with aluminum wings that move electro-mechanically with the sun’s energy.

A self-labeled second-generation kinetic artist, Rein cites American kinetic artists George Rickey and Alexander Calder as two of his inspirations. Rein is also a founder of Kineticus (www.kinetic-art.org), an international non-profit association that aims to raise awareness of kinetic art. Currently, Kineticus has over 450 members in 43 countries.

Of his accomplishments thus far, Rein cites exhibiting at the Canada Olympic House during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta as one of which he is the most proud. For the exhibit, he created an Olympic High Flyer, another hand-activated kinetic sculpture that was exhibited in a private collection for the duration of the games.

An adjunct professor at the College since 2000, Rein teaches introductory through senior-level courses in sculpture. He holds an MFA in sculpture from the University of Windsor, Canada and lives in Trenton.