Leonardo's Wellspring

Eli Whitney Museum

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The 4th Leonardo Challenge

Leonardo's Wellspring

Thumbnail of Leonardo's Wellspring project

Leonardo's vision embraced more than meets the eye. His plants, his anatomy, his machines exuded potential for movement. Each was a wellspring of energy.

The Mechanical spring was a metallurgic innovation newly mastered in Leonardo's Renaissance. Leonardo foresaw its influence in clocks , crossbows and flintlocks, in wind-up cars and robots. If a device could have two states at once compressed and spring or stretched and recoiled, is it not emblematic of the universal energy that Leonardo's eye uncovered?

Consider the now familiar wire spring. Transform one, several or many to explore the infinite expressions the creative eye finds coiled in this simplest emblem of latent energy.

The Challenge
We will send you a container of springs. You may use all, fewer, or ass more of your own for your construction. The container may be part of the piece or you may choose not to use it.

  • Add materials as you wish.
  • The completed work must fit in a 15x15 inch footprint.
  • Return your completed design by May 8th.

"Tension" Ann Lehman

"Early Bird" William O'Connell

"Necklace" Lanatte Barber

"Arrangement" Hunter Nesbitt Spence

"Bird's Nest" Lisa Hodes

"Necklace" Katherine Wright


"Trivet" Susan Farricielli

"Pins" Margeret Andrews


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