Ruach Art Built from 1981 Mercedes 300 TD Turbo

"Ruach" is a memorial, built and installed at the First Congregational Church, located in Port Washington, WI.  There were several design influences for this project:

• The Hebrew term Ruach, which means “breath, wind, spirit”. 
• The song “On Eagles’ Wings”.
• The spiritual concept of the Holy Trinity. 

The kinetic function of a turbine is very intriguing, so Adam adapted this technology to rotate the three “wings” of the sculpture.  Although we had to machine a few parts, the bearing system was literally taken right out of a 1981 Mercedes 300 TD Turbo.  To control the speed of the rotation, we designed in a solenoid and braking system from the Mercedes.  It includes a proximity sensor to monitor the speed. 

On the front end of the project, Adam built the prototype, did some wind-testing, CAD modeling and structural analysis.  The sculpture consists of a spine that is 1-ince square aluminum rod and "vertebrae" about every 8 inches.  The construction has a wicker basket feel but is made with aluminum rod. Off that hangs quarter-inch rod spaced every three-fourths inch to give it a feather-like appearance. This creates the fin for the turbine to capture the wind energy. 

This was inspired by artist Ned Kahn and how the Wind Palms sculptures in San Diego capture ambient colors from the sky.  The design intention gives it a flame look at sunset and blue hues at sun rise.