Vocabulary Kinetic: of or relating to the movement of physical objects

Mobile: decorative structure that is suspended so as to turn freely

in the air.

Representational: something, such as a picture, object, or

symbol, that stands for something else.

Balance: stability produced by even distribution of weight on

each side of the vertical axis

ALEXANDER CALDER

Alexander Calder was an American artist

that is known for his kinetic mobiles

created from abstract sculptural objects.

Through his use of materials such as

broken glass, shards of ceramic, and other

miscellaneous found debris, his work

created an image about pollution in our

seas and oceans.

Use your imagination –

what other ideas or

experiences does this

work make you think of?

What feelings does this

artwork make you feel?

What qualities of the

work help evoke these

feelings or ideas?

STRUCTURAL FRAME

Fish, 1942 Painted wire, wood, and string.

Website: http://www.calder.org/about/calder-prize

Structural Frame Alexander Calder uses many elements

and principals within his sculpture, such

as color, shape, and texture all

integrated into the Mobile Finny Fish.

Where do you see these elements

working?

What materials are these objects made?

What do you think these objects are

saying about the meaning of this art

work?

Subjective Frame

What do you feel when you look at the work Hanging

Mobile?

What personal experiences does this artwork remind you

of?

How do you think the materials used in this artwork

relate back to the subject?

Finny Fish, 1948 Painted wire, wood, and string

Website: http://alexandercaldermobileinventor.weebly.com/subjective-

frame.html

Hanging Mobile, 1951

A title or caption about the photograph.

The History of the

Mobile

When you think of a mobile,

what comes to mind? A device

you hang from the ceiling above

a baby’s crib? You may even

think of it as another word for a

cell phone. However, the first

known mobiles to be created

didn’t have a real function at

all! The definition of the

original mobile was a type of

kinetic sculpture made to

maintain balance. It consists of

a number of rods, from which

weighted objects or further rods

hang. The objects hanging from

the rods balance each other, so

that the rods remain horizontal.

When Alexander Calder

popularized “mobiles,” they

were simply kinetic sculptures

that were only seen as visual

art. Today, mobiles come in a

variety of shapes, colors, styles,

and some are even battery

powered!

Glass Fish, 1955

Wire and glass

Another Project With a wire hanger, bend it into the

desired representational shape. Using

string, hemp, or thin wire, suspend

recyclable and found objects to create a

sculpture much like Calder’s Glass Fish,

seen above.

Relating to more artists:

After looking at Mandy Parker,

and Shona Wiloson, take a look

at Andy Goldsworthy. He is a

British artist that makes site-

specific artworks using raw

materials from nature.