Eco-Echo (1992–93)

Eco-Echo are a series of windmill-like structures that Rauschenberg began upon his return from the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 at Saff Tech Arts in Oxford, Maryland. Of particular concern to Rauschenberg was that these works not waste energy and that the viewer should play an integral role. Thus, these sonar-activated sculptures respond to the presence of a viewer moving nearby. Donald Saff oversaw the mechanics and construction of the aluminum and Lexan fan blades, onto which Rauschenberg applied silkscreened imagery and paint.