TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
Comma
2005–06
PO SHU WANG (CHINESE)
Stainless Steel and Bronze
Student Union Building
This sculpture blends art with science and encourages passersby
to interact with it. The seven-foot stainless steel piece is a
spherical resonator. By pushing the knob attached to the
sculpture, viewers can hear acoustical waves bouncing from
one end to the other. This is created by the bronze bells inside
the sphere that are tuned at slightly different pitches, one
small interval apart. This musical acoustical phenomenon is
known as “comma.”
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Prometheus
1967–68
CHARLES UMLAUF (AMERICAN)
Bronze
University Library (East)
Prometheus is a Titan of Greek mythology who dared to take
fire from heaven and give it to man. He is said to symbolize the
power of knowledge to ignite the mind and dispel the shadows
of ignorance. This 16-foot sculpture was created at a foundry in
Pietrasanta, Italy by Charles Umlauf, an internationally known
American sculptor. In Texas, there are more of his sculptures in
public locales than work by any other single sculptor.
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