In Pendleton, Oregon through the winter of 1948-49, Kenneth Snelson created a series of models with moving parts. He was intrigued in each sculpture by the "magical" suggestion of weightlessness. It was as if the modules were floating. In the sculpture on the left the modules are connected by wire hinges and stabilized by weights. In the second the wire hinges have been replaced by threaded slings and, once again, stabilized by weights. In Early X Piece (right) of wood and monifil the compression members (wood) are separated from one another by the tension members (wire). By adding additional tension members the model is rigid and the weights are no longer necessary.

Early X-Form (right) reconstructed from the originals. Photographs by Kenneth Snelson.