Will it whirl?

File under: art, events, Wellington

Len Lye's Water Whirler is scheduled to get its public baptism from 8pm tonight, weather permitting. And that is a bit of a worry, given that the kinetic sculpture's control systems include an anemometer-driven shutoff system designed to stop it soaking passers-by when the wind gets over about 20 knots, and the current forecast has the wind gusting to 45 knots (80km/h) this evening. Granted, the sculpture will get a bit of shelter from the Events Centre (see, it is useful for something), but will that be enough?

There's always the possibility that the organisers will override the shutoff system and accept a bit of splashing in order to kick the ceremony off on time. On the other hand, the jets of water won't have the right aesthetic effect if they're horizontal, and judging by the way the wand bends in the wind, there may be structural and safety limitations as well.

Can I ask a favour of all you bloggers and Flickrers out there? If you're there to see the launch, please get some photos and post them. Cheers!

Update: the short answer is "Yes, but just long enough to consider it launched". There's now a whole lot of photos on Flickr tagged "waterwhirler".