Great Sail
MIT
Great Sail ("La Grande Voile")
Alexander Calder
1966
Composed of five intersecting forms -- four planes and one curve -- The Great Sail is made up of 35 pieces of sheet metal held together with more than 3,000 pounds of nuts and bolts. The piece was constructed in France where every part was inspected and approved by Mr. Calder, then disassembled and shipped to Cambridge in seven crates. The piece was erected in a week with a 60-foot crane, under Mr. Calder's personal supervision; below it was buried a time capsule prepared by MIT Professors Harold ("Doc") Edgerton and Robert R. Shrock containing memorabilia from 1966. (No unearthing date was set.)