A simple modern mobile in the style of Alexander Calder

A mobile is a type of kinetic sculpture constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium. 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 more or less horizontal. Each rod hangs from only one string, which gives it freedom to rotate about the string. Download high resolution version (1024x1016, 56 KB)An elegantly simple red and black mobile (sculpture). ... Download high resolution version (1024x1016, 56 KB)An elegantly simple red and black mobile (sculpture). ... For other persons named Alexander Calder, see Alexander Calder (disambiguation). ... Kinetic sculptures are sculptures that are designed to move. ...

The sculptor Alexander Calder is well known for his mobiles. Calder is credited with inventing the mobile in 1931, although it was Marcel Duchamp who suggested calling them "mobiles".^[1] Mobiles are also popular in the nursery, where they hang over cribs to give infants something to entertain them and give them external visual stimulation. For other persons named Alexander Calder, see Alexander Calder (disambiguation). ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Marcel Duchamp (pronounced ) (July 28, 1887 – October 2, 1968) was a French artist (he became an American citizen in 1955) whose work and ideas had considerable influence on the development of post-World War II Western art, and whose advice to modern art collectors helped shape the tastes of the... “Baby” redirects here. ... Entertainment is an amusement or diversion intended to hold the attention of an audience or its participants. ... Stimulation is the irritating action of various agents (stimuli) on muscles, nerves, or a sensory end organ, by which activity is evoked; especially, the nervous impulse produced by various agents on nerves, or a sensory end organ, by which the part connected with the nerve is thrown into a state...

Mobiles have inspired many composers, including Morton Feldman and Earle Brown who were inspired by Calder to create mobile-like indeterminate pieces. Frank Zappa also claimed that his compositions were modeled on Calder mobiles. A composer is a person who writes music. ... Morton Feldman (January 12, 1926 – September 3, 1987) was an American composer, born in New York City. ... Earle Brown (December 26, 1926 – July 2, 2002) was an American composer. ... Indeterminate music was a form of music pioneered by the late John Cage. ... Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, musician, and film director. ...

Mobile by Stephen H Kawai

The meaning of the term “mobile” as applied to sculpture has evolved since it was first suggested by Marcel Duchamp in 1931 to describe the early, mechanized creations of Alexander Calder. At this point, “mobile” was synonymous with the term “kinetic art”, describing sculptural works in which motion is a defining property. While motor or crank-driven moving sculptures may have initially prompted it, the word “mobile” later came to refer more specifically to Calder’s free-moving creations. Influenced by the abstract work of Mondrian, Miró and Arp, Calder in many respects invented an art form where objects (typically brightly coloured, abstract shapes fashioned from sheet metal) are connected by wire much like a balance scale. By sequentially attaching additional objects, the final creation consists of many balanced parts joined by lengths of wire whose individual elements are capable of moving independently or as a whole when prompted by air movement or direct contact. Thus, “mobile” has become a more well-defined term referring to the many such hanging constructs Calder produced in a prolific manner between the 1930s and his death in 1976. A succinct definition of the term “mobile” in a visual art sense could be a type of kinetic sculpture in which an ensemble of balanced parts capable of motion are hung freely in space. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 467 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2259 × 2900 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 467 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2259 × 2900 pixel, file size: 1. ...

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References

1. ^ Tomkins, Calvin: Duchamp: A Biography, pages 294. Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1996. ISBN 0-8050-5789-7