'Olympiad 2002' a olympic logo styled kinetic sculpture from Brewitz

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Balancing act
Alison B. Harbour, arts editor
The Sentinel-Record
A kinetic work of art, "Olympiad 2002," is positioned in the picture window of Gallery Central to offer inspiration, beauty and encouragement to those who participate in the Olympic Flame relay.

Tom Brewitz during the installation of 'Olympiad 2002'

The Sentinel-Record/David Vann
Artist Tom Brewitz of Stillwater Minn., positions "Olympiad 2000" in the picture window at Gallery Central.

Eleven local people will carry the Olympic Flame today through Hot Springs on its 46-state, 14,000-mile journey from Atlanta to Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Beginning at 11 a.m. at Allen Tillery Chevrolet, 4573 Central Ave., the Olympic torch will proceed in 0.2-mile increments north to Hill Wheatley Plaza on Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs, where the flame will be brought to an on-stage cauldron at noon for a community celebration featuring an array of local performers.

Afterward, the Olympic Torch will be carried down Central to Park Avenue; northeast on Park Avenue; northeast on Gorge Road; south on East Grand Avenue; and east on Malvern Avenue to Lakeside School, where the flame will be transferred to another vehicle to be "fast tracked" out of the city. Crowds are welcome to gather along the route except for the section from Gorge Road to East Grand where the flame will again be "fast tracked" by vehicle.

Artist Tom Brewitz of Stillwater, Minn., installed "Olympiad 2002" in the window at 800 Central Ave., hoping to encourage the torchbearer who will carry the Olympic Flame downtown to Hill Wheatley Plaza and also attract the crowd of supporters at that site.

The sculpture's five rings mirror the interlocking circles of the Olympic rings that have come to symbolize the "five continents."

Brewitz's stainless steel sculpture of rings interact when breezes or humans are near. They bob and turn, wheel and dip and go to and fro.

"It's like watching a campfire," Brewitz said Friday. "People of all ages, children and grandfolks seem to enjoy seeing these and appreciate them even if they don't know what they are supposed to be. The circular designs create a form of entertainment and do a performance."

Brewitz says he hopes "Olympiad 2002" will mesmerize its viewers to come close to the window or inside the gallery as air currents charge its geometric pendulums.

"It's movement is calming, very peaceful and soothing," says gallery owner Bess Sanders.

Brewitz, a Vietnam War veteran, visited the Spa city Friday to install a companion piece, "Circles 321," in the gallery parking lot. The sculpture is designed in single, double and triple circular combinations. It was created to withstand harsh winds, desert heat and southern humidity. Air currents charge the piece's three circular motion elements in playful design combinations to interact with the environment and entertain the viewer.

There are no motors, magnets or magic that prompt his sculptures to begin their dance, but a method of "sophisticated balance." Brewitz has worked to perfect this balancing act during 25 years of experimentation and determination. "I can barely do it even today," he said.

"Everything affects it; gravity for instance and the works are influenced by their environment," he said. "I want my audience to experience pure enjoyment and beauty when they see them. The simplicity of the circles and shapes lend themselves to motion."

He wanted to bring "Olympiad 2002" to Hot Springs, as the Olympic relay will not pass through his home state of Minnesota, nor the Dakotas or Hawaii, he said.

"Only 46 states are involved in it. The Olympics are a huge part of my life through the years and I like to keep track of Americans' progress."

To see Brewitz's mobiles and his works set in motion on his Web site, visit at www.cornermark.com/bkwopen.html.