English: Keck Center of The U.S. National Academies

500 Fifth Street NW Exterior Opened in 2002, the Keck Center houses more than 1,000 employees and is a popular site for public meetings.

Slow Rondo (Kinetic Sculpture), 2002 Don Merkt Stainless Steel, Aluminum and Painted Steel 20’9’H x 18’9”W x 16’D

The concept for this kinetic sculpture was motivated by the concerns and activities of the National Academies -- with an emphasis on research.

Symbolically it focuses on the analysis of our multi-textured world by an intelligent and compassionate eye. Three concentric circular planes all move independently while sharing the same vertical axis; movements are initiated by the wind. When the wind allows, the circular planes align and combine to form two mosaic images that dominate the sculpture, one side representing the human eye and the other side the cosmos. Inherent in the design are the macro and the micro interests of the National Academies.