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The R.A.E (Robotic Art Experience) sculpture that sits at I-25 and 136th Avenue has toppled. On March 19th, the City of Thornton announced, on the Parks and Recreation Facebook page, that the sculpture had been damaged around 8 p.m. the night before and asked the public for any information regarding how the damage may have occurred. The post seems to leave room for the possibility of vandalism, but, as many of those responding in the reply section pointed out, the area had been experiencing strong winds the night the sculpture fell.
The 30-foot sculpture was created by Volkan Alkanoglu - a Turkish-born artist who was raised in Germany and now resides in Portland, Oregon - in partnership with Branch Technology - a 3D printing company. You can view photos of the completed sculpture, along with the rest of his portfolio, at Alkanoglu’s website.
On March 13, 2025, just days before R.A.E. fell, Branch Technology posted about the sculpture on their Instagram page. Promoting the material the sculpture is made from, the post speaks to the sculpture’s ability to withstand “challenging winds and weather.” Comments on the post have been disabled.
If high winds are the culprit, it would not be the first time. R.A.E.’s installation was completed in 2024, but only after being damaged by high winds during its initial installation, back in 2022.
With this being the second time the sculpture has collapsed, some Thornton residents are concerned. Scattered throughout the replies to the city’s Facebook post are people wondering about the cost of continually repairing this piece as well as concerns over potential injuries to passing commuters, should the sculpture fall again in the future.
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