A new kinetic public art installation titled “Hurly-Whirly” is installed on the median of 4th Avenue and 2nd Street, reshaping a familiar road stretch near Park Slope and Gowanus. The 11-foot-by-8-foot sculpture was designed by David Barthold and manufactured by five young people in the Beam Center’s paid Art Production Apprenticeship program. The three-dimensional piece uses marine-grade plywood fins attached to a steel structure anchored into the ground with threaded anchors. Painted plywood wings spin on top via a rotating steel post, driven by wind conditions. Rust-resistant exterior-grade enamel paint protects the sculpture from weather. The work draws inspiration from whimsical roadside art and aims to make drivers smile.
"The massive, 11-foot-by-8-foot colorful kinetic sculpture titled “Hurly-Whirly” was designed by artist David Barthold and manufactured by a team of five young people who are part of the Beam Center's paid Art Production Apprenticeship program."
"The three-dimensional piece, which will be on view through fall 2026, is constructed of marine-grade plywood fins attached to a steel structure secured into the ground by threaded anchors. Depending on wind conditions, the painted plywood wings on top of the sculpture spin thanks to a rotating steel post. Rust-resistant exterior-grade enamel paint protects the sculpture from the elements."
"Barthold drew inspiration from whimsical roadside art along America's highways, when traffic and life moved more slowly and caught the curiosity of passing drivers. He said he hopes “Hurly-Whirly” invokes the same sense of wonder he felt during long family road trips through the South and Midwest in the 1960s and 1970s."
"“I'm a native New Yorker, so I always feel like there's this undercurrent of crankiness in the city, and I'm thinking like I was worried about whether it would attract positive attention or negative attention, and it's been overwhelmingly positive. I think people really want to see, and they do see, wonderful public art around the city, especially in recent years,” Barthold said, noting that it was “wonderful” to be a participant in the life of the city."
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