Kenneth Snelson (born June 29, 1927) is an American contemporary sculptor and photographer. His sculptural works are composed of flexible and rigid components arranged according to the idea of ‘tensegrity’. Snelson prefers the descriptive term floating compression.
Snelson asserts his former professor Buckminster Fuller took credit for Snelson’s discovery of the concept that Fuller named tensegrity. Fuller gave the idea its name, combining ‘tension’ and ‘structural integrity.’ The height and strength of Snelson’s sculptures, which are often delicate in appearance, depend on the tension between rigid pipes and flexible cables.
