---
title: "Kinetic sculpture"
description: "Sculpture with moving parts (driven by wind, water, motors, or the viewer) in which motion itself is part of the composition."
glossary: "https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary"
source: "https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/kinetic-sculpture"
---

# Kinetic sculpture

> Sculpture with moving parts (driven by wind, water, motors, or the viewer) in which motion itself is part of the composition.

Glossary: https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary  
Source: https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/kinetic-sculpture

Alexander Calder's mobiles made motion a sculptural medium, and wind-driven
work has been a public art staple since: it animates a plaza without a power
bill. The commissioning reality, though, is mechanical: moving parts wear,
bearings seize, motors fail. A kinetic commission is a commitment to
mechanical maintenance, and the contract should say who performs it and what
the work is allowed to look like when it's stopped. A stilled kinetic piece
reads as broken in a way no static sculpture ever does.

Related terms: [Sculpture](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/sculpture), [Conservation](https://www.civiccollection.com/glossary/conservation)

## Mentioned in

- [Ten Ideas for Your Next Public Art Tour](https://www.civiccollection.com/blog/ten-ideas-for-your-next-public-art-tour)