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All the United States Missouri Kansas City World's Largest Shuttlecocks

World's Largest Shuttlecocks

Four, 18-foot-tall badminton shuttlecocks lie scattered about the lawn of a Kansas City museum.

Kansas City, Missouri

Added By
Christopher Linton
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View of south side of museum.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nelson-a...
Aerial view of the museum.   http://www.geospectra.net/lewis_cl/kanscit...
Close-up view of the feathering on the shuttlecocks.   http://scotthaefner.com/photos/place/Kansa...
  calvinsehrt / Atlas Obscura User
  History Fangirl / Atlas Obscura User
  David Brooks / Atlas Obscura User
  David Brooks / Atlas Obscura User
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  David Brooks / Atlas Obscura User
  David Brooks / Atlas Obscura User
Spring 2010   alisam9 / Atlas Obscura User
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Across the expansive grounds of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, lie four large shuttlecocks. Looking like the remains of a giant’s game of badminton, the 18-foot displays were commissioned with funds gifted the museum from the Sosland family.

Created by the husband-and-wife team of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen, the aluminum and fiberglass pieces were installed over a five-day period in July 1994. Inspiration for the shuttlecocks came from a painting in the museum by Frederic Remington that featured Native Americans wearing feathered headdresses coupled with a satellite image of the museum grounds that resembled a grassy ball court.

Today, three of the displays lie on the front/south side of the museum building and the fourth is on the back/north side. This arrangement was deliberately chosen to incorporate the building into the overall design as the “net” for this larger-than-life set of game pieces.

As with many modern art installations, controversy surrounded both the decision to commission the work and its final placement on the museum’s grounds. Though initial reviews were a bit harsh, the displays have become a focal point for weddings and family outings as community acceptance has grown, and today the shuttlecocks are a permanent part of local folklore.

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Free parking is available within just a short walking distance. Check out the other sculptures in the park as well including the transparent maze. Get the AO two-fer by seeing the John the Baptist holy finger relic inside the museum.

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Added By

ronin

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rugby007, alisam9, History Fangirl, Collector of Experiences...

  • rugby007
  • alisam9
  • History Fangirl
  • Collector of Experiences
  • calvinsehrt
  • David Brooks
  • peytondj
  • katencio b5ab0395
  • keenanmseko

Published

October 18, 2010

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Sources
  • Kansas City Star: "Nelson's Shuttlecocks at 15 years old: Many things to many people" (June 2009): http://www.kansascity.com/2009/06/27/1280891/nelsons-shuttlecocks-at-15-years.html
  • https://historyfangirl.com/checking-out-the-best-museum-in-the-us/
World's Largest Shuttlecocks
4525 Oak St.
Kansas City, Missouri, 64111
United States
39.045065, -94.580967
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