After graduating from Kalamazoo College in June with a studio art major and classical civilizations minor, sculptor Daedalian Derks ’12 spent the summer rebuilding and expanding a portion of his Senior Individualized Project for installation in downtown Grand Rapids as a competitor in the international art competition ArtPrize 2012.

The sculpture is called the “Binary Strip,” and is a kinetic installation made from stainless steel aircraft cable and lightweight aluminum panels. The panels harness the power of the wind on the bank of the Grand River and spin, changing from black to white and back again.

ArtPrize is the only art competition in which the grand prize winner is chosen solely by public vote. With more 1500 artists involved in the competition this year representing some 50 countries and almost every state in the U.S., support from Daedalian’s alma mater is critical. To be eligible to vote, one must register at an Exhibition Center in Grand Rapids. Once one is registered, voting is easy and can be done through texting, online, or with a smartphone app. The app can be found at the ArtPrize Web site and voting can be done at the site.

The competition begins September 19 and ends on October 7. The Binary Strip is installed on the Grand Rapids Public Museum (see photo), just north of the Blue Bridge walking bridge. The Museum is also an exhibition center, so viewers can both register to vote and see “Binary Strip” in one place. The “Binary Strip” voting number is 52874.