Trigger 4, Steel sculpture at Reed College in Portland, United States
Trigger 4 is a Cor-Ten or mild steel sculpture measuring about 12 by 15.5 by 10 feet, installed in 1979 in front of the Studio Art Building at Reed College. The Smithsonian describes its primary forms as triangles and lines, and Kelly's signature with the number 79 is inscribed at the bottom of the post on its northwest side.
Trigger 4 was designed by Lee Kelly and installed in front of the Studio Art Building at Reed College in 1979, the year his visiting associate professorship there ended. The sculpture and the building were both donated to the college by John Gray, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and his wife Betty. In February 1994 the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! program rated its condition as needing treatment.
Reed magazine responded to the 1979 installation by asking whether the piece showed a Chinese character, a horse, or simply lines and angles, concluding that its beauty lay in evoking different images and meanings. The rust-colored steel stands against the blue roof and grey walls of the newly built Studio Art Building.
Trigger 4 stands in front of the Studio Art Building on the Reed College campus in southeast Portland. The sculpture is outdoors and can be viewed at any time from the surrounding walkways. Kelly's signature and the number 79 are inscribed at the bottom of the post on the northwest side, so walk around that side to find them.
Kelly signed the work and marked it "79" on the bottom of the post on its northwest side, a detail easy to miss. Reed magazine, reviewing the new piece, asked whether it showed a Chinese character, a horse, or just lines and angles, and called its rust color a contrast to the Studio Art Building's blue roof and grey walls.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,019 contributors worldwide.