Music of the Elements: Dance of Time

Needham High School, MA

“Music of the Elements: Dance of Time” is part of a consortium of designs for Needham High School, designed with input from students.

A portion of the design, “The DNA Rocket”, is in a circular form that occasionally rotates with solar energy, relating the center of our DNA to the center of our universe. The Rocket’s tail is a representation of a DNA strand. And the shape of the wooden Blast Off Benches is inspired by the star WR (Wolf-Rayet) 104, a spiraling star with 100,000 times more energy than our sun, a metaphor for youth.

Wulke…designed the installation with input from Needham High School art students. She was chosen in a design competition, beating out 21 other designs.

“I couldn’t be happier with the piece; it’s a beautiful melding with the architectural space,” Wulke said.

In conjunction with her design being chosen for the art installation, Wulke also conducted an artist-in-residence at the high school, which is part of the reason she submitted her design in the first place.

She emphasized the educational concepts in her work, which incorporate scientific and mathematical principles and could offer teachers a tool in explaining concepts such as DNA and infinity.

“It was an opportunity to work with students and talk about public art,” Wulke said. “I think working in the high school, where everyone works hard with young people, these pieces needed to create intrigue, tell stories and encourage [students] to ask questions and move forward in their educational pursuits.”

From the Needham Times.

2003