(3D) BODY TALK & (4D) THE ENCOMPASSING EXPERIENCE Self Portrait, 1968 Wire. ALEXANDER CALDER (3D) BODY TALK & (4D) THE ENCOMPASSING EXPERIENCE

ALEXANDER CALDER He revolutionized the art of sculpture by making movement one of its main components. They became known as ‘mobiles’- a phrase coined in 1931 by Marcel Duchamp. In his ‘stabiles’, he created innovative works by exploring the aesthetic possibilities of untraditional materials. His artworks challenged the prevailing notion of sculpture as a composition of masses and volumes by proposing a new definition based on the ideas of open space and transparency. He began working with wire and this radical new medium tantamount (equivalent to) drawing in space (***it’s a 3D line). In a series of portraits and full-sized figures from the late 1920s, Calder captured with humour the salient (most noticeable) features of his subjects.

“I THINK BEST IN WIRE…” - Alexander Calder

CALDER Calvin Coolidge, 1927 Wire, wood and paint. Aztec Josephine Baker, c. 1929 wire Joan Miró, 1930 Wire

Frank Crowninshield, 1928 Wire. Josephine Baker II, 1927 Wire Acrobats, 1927. Wire and wood

Helen Wills II, 1928 Steel wire and wood Wire Sculpture by Calder, 1928 Wire. Hercules and Lion, 1928 wire

(3D) BODY TALK & (4D) THE ENCOMPASSING EXPERIENCE RUTH ASAWA (3D) BODY TALK & (4D) THE ENCOMPASSING EXPERIENCE

Asawa experimented with cheap, readily available materials such as leaves, wood, paper, and wire. When she is asked to describe her work she often says, “It was just an experiment.”

“I was interested in it because of the economy of a line, making something in space, enclosing it without blocking it out. It’s still transparent. I realized that if I was going to make these forms, which interlock and interweave, it can only be done with a line because a line can go anywhere.”

YOUR TURN… You are to create sculptures using wire. You may use Calder and/ or Asawa as inspiration. For example, you may choose someone significant to you (family, friends, celebrities) and attempt to bring out the salient features of these people OR you might focus more on the form as a semi-abstract piece created by weaving wire. GO FOR IT!

ADDITIONAL Drawing in Space Exhibition: http://www.thecityreview.com/calder.html http://www.thatcreativefeeling.com/im-inspired-by-ruth-asawa/