Hammering Man

Hammering Man is a series of monumental kinetic sculptures designed by artist Jonathon Borofsky which have been installed in various cities around the world, including New York, Los Angeles, Germany and Japan.    Seattle's is the 2nd largest at 48 feet tall, 30 inches wide and 7 inches deep, and weighs 26,000 pounds.  It is located directly in front of the Seattle Art Museum, know locally as SAM, on the NE corner of 1st and University in
Downtown Seattle.  The largest Hammering Man is in Frankfort, Germany. 

The sculpture is made out of hollow-fabricated steel with a mechanized arm of aluminum, an electric motor and flat black automotive paint. He was built in 1992 at a cost of $450,000. 

Hammering Man's arm "hammers" silently and smoothly four times per minute from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. It runs on a 3-hp electric motor set on an automatic timer. Hammering Man rests his arm each evening and every year on Labor Day.

On Labor Day 1993, a group of local artists attached a scaled-to-fit ball and chain to the sculpture's leg.

The Seattle Art Museum is a popular destination in Downtown Seattle, as well and will be covered in a future post to this blog.