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This is a contributing entry for Outdoor Sculptures on the UCSB Campus and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.
Just to the left of the Art Museum looking out over the lagoon stands the gleaming stainless steel sculpture, interacting with the natural elements including the sun and breeze coming from the ocean. The whimsy of this piece fits in with UCSB’s upbeat atmosphere and environment, connecting to the location beyond aesthetics.

Annular Eclipse VI by George Rickey

Annular Eclipse VI by George Rickey

As one of the foremost kinetic sculptors, George Rickey forged a body of work over four decades that brought him international acclaim. In his approach to sculpture, Rickey focused on the natural power of the wind and then constructed simple forms to move under its influence. Geometric and lyrical, his stainless steel arrangements slowly rotate in space, making the wind visible. Completed two years before Rickey’s death, Annual Eclipse VI is an excellent example of how he activated and balanced his works through the interaction of meticulously-engineered counterweights and bearings, pendulums, gravity, and air currents. The relationship between the two circles is orderly as a result of Rickey’s precise geometry and mechanics, as well as random in response to forces of nature. Annular Eclipse VI is one of the artist’s final achievements, emerging from a lifelong relationship with wind, time, space and form.

Dewart, Niki. Sculpture and Visual Arts Guidebook, January 1st 2005.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Accession No. 2000.72