The grand opening festivities begin on Saturday, September 20, with a free public parade, “Chaos and Kisses,” running from noon to 2 PM, led by artist Arto Lindsay. Organized by Marsha Perelman Senior Director of Programs Juana Berrío, the event highlights Philadelphia’s vibrant community spirit and reflects Calder Gardens’ unique approach, eschewing the traditional “museum” label for an immersive, narrative-free experience. The Calder Foundation, in partnership with the Barnes Foundation, will curate a rotating collection to keep the exhibits dynamic.

The $90 million project, backed by the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, builds on the city’s artistic heritage, linking to landmarks like the William Penn statue by Calder’s grandfather and the Swann Memorial Fountain by his father. Featuring open-air galleries and 37,000 seasonal perennial plants, the site encourages visitors to connect personally with Calder’s art.

Via Christie’s: A conversation with Piet Oudolf on Philadelphia’s new Calder Gardens

Calder Gardens will be open Wednesday through Monday, 11 AM to 5 PM, starting September 21, offering free grounds access and timed indoor gallery tickets, inviting the public to explore a blend of art and nature.

Photos by Iwan Baan.

If you’re in Philadelphia to visit Calder Gardens, there’s also Calder’s Ghost mobile at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It’s a large-scale, white abstract mobile hanging from the ceiling in the museum’s grand entrance hall. Originally created for the Guggenheim Museum, it spans 30 feet. Another one to see in Philadelphia is White Cascade at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the world’s largest mobile, descending 100 feet and spanning about 60 feet wide, suspended in an 8-story atrium. Free public tours are available weekdays, reservations recommended via the bank’s website. I’d suggest verifying these details before going, they may change from time to time.

Related to the official opening of Calder Gardens:

The sculpture consists of two parts that visually correspond with each other and complete each other. Each part measures 25 feet (8 meters) in height and 16 feet (5 meters) in diameter. Made of aluminum to keep the sculpture lightweight and therefor susceptible to air movements within the space, the lower part weighs only 47 pounds (22 kg), the upper part only 39 pounds (18 kg).

The custom design of the two-part mobile sculpture, an application of a new approach to expanding Alexander Calder’s art form of mobiles:

Shown within the 4-story atrium:

View from the ground floor:

Render of the building:

The atrium:

Several weeks were spent on experimenting with fabrication techniques and inventing custom tools. Several jigs to facilitate the assembly process were also made. The balance point of each of the almost 50 parts had to be calculated precisely within the 3d model. The balance point of each part is dependent on the weight of the other parts. Each part had to be fabricated according to the 3d model, with some parts needing many adjustments until they positioned themselves correctly. In the process, the sculpture had to be raised and lowered hundreds of times, making additional adjustments to the parts each time.

The sculpture is made with a conventional hook-and-loop structure, as in a Calder mobile. A custom-made bending tool bolted to a table weighing 2 tons was utilized to allow for the metal rounds as thick as 3/4 inch (2 cm) to be bent into tight loops with an inner diameter of only 1 inch (2.5 cm):

Calculated measurement marks lining up perfectly after a loop was bent, ensuring that the balance point will be precisely in the correct place:

The 3d model of the atrium with the space utilized by the mobile (in red) to ensure that as the kinetic sculpture rotates and moves with the air currents, it will always remain out of reach from the various floors:

A video illustrating the various suspension options for mobile sculptures in the atrium:

Abstract metal shapes in the fabrication process:

The spreadsheet for one of the two sections, comparing the weight of the parts in the 3D-model to the actual weight of the parts as they were being made. The difference throughout the fabrication process had to be kept to a minimum to ensure that each part of the almost 50 parts, and the sculpture as a whole, would balance correctly. In the end, the weight difference between the model and reality was only 0.05% (0.31 ounces / 8.73 grams) of the total weight of the section:

Photo from installation day:

Photo from the opening ceremony in September 2022:

Thanks to Mike Rainer of Mike’s Machine & Welding for providing outstanding assistance with the fabrication of the mobile sculpture.

Update October 2023: The Learning Commons earns the Grand Prize at “Learning By Design” magazine’s Fall 2023 Architecture and Interior Design Awards of Excellence program.

I will be adding more images and information to this post as soon as I have time.

– See more of my art installations and mobile sculptures –

These are images of 3d models of the mobile sculptures that I’m working on expanding, with the balance point for each part precisely calculated. Each of these mobile sculptures has an interconnected balance structure throughout, just like an Alexander Calder mobile. The balance of each part is determent by the weight of the parts connected to it. This specific mobile sculpture, for example, is made of 51 balanced parts that are connected to each other, resulting in just one suspension point for the whole sculpture:

One of these mobile sculptures here shown with the precisely calculated balance points (103 points in total):

– See more of my mobile sculptures –

Made out of aluminum and stainless steel and with a diameter of 60 inches / 150 cm, it weighs less than a pound / less than half a kilogram, and therefor moves with the slightest air currents.

Unlike a conventional mobile by Alexander Calder, this is essentially one mobile made of three mobiles. I believe this is quite unique and original, I’ve not seen a mobile like it.

A “fly around” animation of the design:

Painted:

Custom made wooden box for shipping:

– See more of my custom made kinetic sculptures and suspended mobiles –

Marco Mahler gives new life to the kinetic art form Calder made famous

It talks about how I got inspired by Alexander Calder’s mobiles at the National Gallery of Art’s Tower 2 in Washington, D.C. to make my first mobiles, then made small mobiles and kinetic sculptures that I sold on online, got commissioned for a series of mobiles for a New York Fashion Week, winning third prize in the 2015 International Kinetic Art Organization competition, a custom mobile for Robert A. M. Stern, New York architect and dean of architecture at Yale, collaborated with mathematician Henry Segerman to create 3D printed mobiles, a custom designed mobile sculpture that I made for the 2019 movie The Upside starring Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman, and some of my new ideas for suspended kinetic sculptures for future projects.

Mobiles shown in the article are Mobile 92 and one of my original contemporary mobile sculptures. Some of the 3d printed mobiles and a shape for a large custom mobile are visible in the background, as well as some of my other contemporary mobiles.

Thanks to Elizabeth Cogar and R•Home managing editor Susan Morgan!

Incidentally, a mobile that I custom-made for architect and former Dean of the Yale School of Architecture Robert A.M. Stern for his room at The Kips Bay Designer Show House is featured in the following issue of R•Home Magazine in the feature article about interior designer Doug Stiles and his condo in Richmond’s Bellevue Square where the mobile is currently suspended:

The design:

The residence:

The finished sculpture:

Indoor storage solution for stormy days:

Ready for shipping:

Installed on site:

A painting by David Hockney complementing in dynamics and colors hangs on the wall in the background:

– See more of my custom made moving sculptures –

And some other new mobile sculptures I’m working on:

See more of my mobiles
Read more of my blog about mobiles
See the most popular blog posts

For an element (shape) to be able to balance, the suspension point needs to be above the center of mass. In addition to this requirement, when the center of mass is lower (farther away from the suspension point), the balance will be more stable. Vice versa, when the center of mass is higher (closer to the suspension point), the balance will be more fragile (the element is more likely to overturn):

Obviously within a mobile, an element might have the weight of several elements that are in the lower part of the mobile attached to it, which lowers the center of of mass. A good example of this can be seen in a large site-specific mobile I was working on for a three story light shaft in Chicago last year:

In some cases, it might be necessary to raise the suspension point with the help of an extension:

• See more of my mobiles
• Read more of my blog about mobiles
• See the most popular blog posts

The above mobile would be attached to the ceiling at two points to keep the wider upper half of the mobile from rotating full circle. [Update: see photos of the finished mobile]

– See more of my designs for custom hanging mobiles –

Influenced by Alexander Calder‘s style, yet it has a clear and solid identity of its own.

See more of my custom-designed and custom-made mobiles …

See more of my custom-made mobiles …

– Part 1 –

See more of my custom mobiles …

See more of my custom designed mobiles …

– Part 2 –

See more of my custom mobiles …

Links to various videos of the installation keep floating around social media sites calling it “the largest kinetic sculpture in the world”, spanning an area of 75 square meters (810 sq ft) and a height of 7.3 meters (24 ft). While the sculpture is an amazing accomplishment, it doesn’t seem to be the world’s largest kinetic sculpture. To my knowledge, the largest kinetic sculpture in the world (and also the largest mobile sculpture) is Alexander Calder‘s White Cascade, which hangs in the Eastburn Court of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia:

It measures approximately 100 feet (31 meters) from top to bottom, is 60 feet (18 meters) at its widest point, and weighs close to 10 tons, including the motor, surpassing Calder’s 920 pound 76-foot-long mobile (or 85 feet, depending on source) at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. I’m not sure if any of his stabiles are larger, but if not, then this would also be Alexander Calder’s largest sculpture. Speaking of that large Calder mobile at the National Gallery, it is made with hollow honeycomb-type structures designed by Paul Matisse (grandson of Henri Matisse and son of Pierre Matisse) and covered with paper-thin aluminum, and aluminum and steel bars, with the stress points being strengthened with molybdenum. It weighs 930 pounds (422 kg). The previous estimates from Calder’s foundry in Biémont exceeded 5000 pounds (2268 kg). It doesn’t have a name. When Calder was asked for a title, he replied “You don’t name a baby until it is born.” But then he passed away one year before it was installed at the Gallery. The mobile sculpture has been refurbished recently.

Back to White Cascade: It took just two days to install it. The installation was carried out in two stages. In the most difficult and time-consuming part of the job, the four top-most and largest aluminum discs — still in their protective wrappings — were joined to their respective stainless steel rods, then raised one by one and linked together. The 10 lower discs and rods were linked together on the ground level, then raised into position as a unit. A crane situated on the sidewalk outside the entrance to the Bank provided the lifting power.

Finally, the wrappings were removed. The 14 white aluminum discs that comprise “White Cascade” range in size from 3.5 feet in diameter to 12.7 feet. The longest of the connecting stainless steel rods is 36 feet; the shortest, 9 feet. Powered by an electric motor, the mobile rotates clockwise on a radius of 32.5 feet.

Here’s a photo by H. Scott Heist of Calder in front of the mobile:

The mobile was installed in May 1976, Calder passed away less than six months later.

Do you know of a larger kinetic sculpture? Let me know if you do and I’ll add it to this post.

Current relevance as of September 2025: No newer kinetic sculptures surpassing White Cascade in size have been widely reported in searches up to this date.

Also see my list of the 5 Largest Mobiles worldwide that I’m aware of.

– Update: –

I received an email from Anthony Howe nominating his OCTO 3 sculpture as possibly the largest outdoor permanent kinetic wind sculpture. It measures 25′ h x 30′ w x 30′ d (7.6m x 9.1m x 9.1m) and weighs 7000 pounds (3200 kg):

Since receiving the email from Anthony, it seems that he has surpassed these dimensions with the cauldron he created for the 2016 Rio Olympics measuring 40 ft (12.2 meters):

Related: Watch as Anthony Howe creates a massive, kinetic wind sculpture

– See some of my kinetic sculptures and mobiles –

Alexander Calder, Maripose, 1960, 30 x 67in.

Bonhams will offer Alexander Calder‘s (1898-1976) 1960 sculpture Maripose in the November 12 2013 Contemporary Art auction (est. $1,200,000-1,600,000). This stunning example of Calder’s large scale mobiles has been in private American hands for nearly 40 years in Wisconsin-based collections.

A native of Pennsylvania, Calder was born into a family of sculptors. His first solo show was held in Paris in 1927 while he was still in his twenties; he would soon become one of America’s most lauded and prolific artists. It was Marcel Duchamp who first dubbed Calder’s kinetic wire sculptures “mobiles,” – these hanging, interactive pieces would come to define the artist’s legacy.

Maripose was originally offered at Perls Gallery in New York, which represented Calder from 1954 until the artist’s death. The mobile was acquired in 1976 by a prominent private collector from Milwaukee’s Irving Galleries, and passed by descent to the present owner in 1988. The mobile was exhibited at the Milwaukee Art Museum in 1987, and is registered with the Calder Foundation.

“In Maripose, every element of Calder’s genius is evident through the striking sense of balance and momentum the sculpture evokes,” said Jeremy Goldsmith, Bonhams Director of Contemporary Art in New York. “It’s a pleasure to bring such an important work to the market after nearly four decades in private hands.”

The auction will preview at Bonhams November 9-12 2013.

This mobile became the original inspiration for the custom-made mobile I made for the movie The Upside released in 2019.

It seems to me that this mobile crosses over from a mid-century modern style to a more contemporary one, in one of my earlier ventures to break away from Alexander Calder‘s work and to expand the art form of mobiles that he created beyond his work, which eventually led to these contemporary mobile sculptures, this hypothesis and these much more complex and intricate mobile sculptures.

The mobile shown here moves beautifully with the air currents. Although originally not intended for outdoors, I suspended it in the yard for a while, and it proved strong enough to withstand an intense storm. The weight at the bottom provides for quite a bit of stability. It’s a kinetic mobile sculpture, but it would make for a sophisticated hanging wall sculpture as well. I still have a stack of drawings with mobiles similar to this one, based on the same idea or theme (bird like?). I may get around to turning those drawings into mobiles eventually.

It seems that Stephen H. Kawai may have felt inspired by this mobile with his Ghost Bird (2018).

– See more of my mobile sculptures –

It looks amazing! And moves amazingly well too with the wind currents. I can’t wait to post photos of it, maybe a video, too. Not sure yet what would be the best place / background for pictures. A plain white simple space? A farm? Maybe a lake.

[Update: Image with Mies van der Rohe daybed]

Christie’s Post War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction on October 11th 2012 in London will include Alexander Calder‘s “Hello Allentown“, a hanging mobile he made the same year he passed away, 1976.

Expected to go for US$ 2 to 3 Million. More affordable options are here and here.

Before moving on to the Lot Notes, does anyone know if this quote is really by Calder: “The perpetually changing relations within the mobile gives them a metaphysical identity that relies on temporal memory to assemble the sequence of partial definitions comprising the more complex identity of the whole.”

Lot Notes: ‘The simplest forms in the universe are the sphere and the circle, I represent them by discs and then I vary them. My whole theory about art is the disparity that exists between form, masses and movement’ (A. Calder, quoted in K. Kuh, The Artist’s Voice: Talks with Seventeen Artists, New York, 1962).

Suspended from a sequence of bright red wires, the progression of multi-coloured discs that glides through the air is a triumphal example of Alexander Calder’s iconic mobile sculptures. Having once formed part of the historic collection of Philip and Muriel Berman and in fact titled after their hometown, Allentown, Pennsylvania, Hello Allentown is a tribute to the lifelong journey of collecting during which they amassed an impressive collection of monumental and important sculpture, paintings, drawings and prints. True civic leaders well known for their philanthropy as well as their commitment to championing the work of both young aspiring artists and the masters of their time, Philip and Muriel Berman collection was a testament to their personal connection with the art and in many instances their personal friendships with the artists, a friendship evident through the very title of Hello Allentown. With the artist signature aplomb, the vibrant spheres occupy both the vertical and horizontal planes, commanding the space in which they hang. The black discs that mark the highest and lowest point of Calder constellation act to contain the energetic eruptions of fiery reds and iridescent yellow that are contained within the centre of the configuration. Hello Allentown incorporates two of Calder favourite monikers – his exuberant use of colour and his formal examination of the spherical form. Through these two devices Calder investigates the formal relationship between two of the most basics tenets of art – form and colour – and how they interact, particularly in three-dimensional form. From the large black disc at the apex of the composition the eye is drawn down through a series of graceful arching limbs, each of which supports a round disc which decreases in size as the sculpture draws to a triumphal conclusion, ‘The simplest forms in the universe are the sphere and the circle Calder once said, ‘I represent them by discs and then I vary them. My whole theory about art is the disparity that exists between form, masses and movement’ (A. Calder, quoted in K. Kuh, The Artist’s Voice: Talks with Seventeen Artists, New York, 1962).

In addition to its elegantly balanced form, Hello Allentown is also distinguished by its chromatic range and intensity. Colour was an important expressive device for the artist and one of the most important factors in his compositions. For Calder, colour was not a representational force but rather an emotional one, in much the same way as Henri Matisse and André Derain, the historical pioneers in non-traditional use of colour. As Calder himself once commented: ”I want things to be differentiated. Black and white are first – then red is next. I often wish that I had been a Fauve in 1905” (A. Calder, quoted in Calder, London 2004, p. 89). Hello Allentown clearly demonstrates this philosophy with its harmonious use of black and white discs to compliment the chromatic brilliance of its red and yellow core.

Whilst Calder”s influential visit to Mondrian”s Parisian studio in 1930 is well documented as being the spark that ignited his interest in introducing colour and movement into sculpture, it is perhaps his friendship with Joan Miró that had the greatest influence on his career. The two men first met in 1928 and remained lifelong friends until Calder death in 1976. ”We became very good friends,” Calder once said, ”and attended may things together I came to love his painting, his colour, his personages” (A. Calder, quoted in E. Hutton and O. Wick (eds.), Calder, Miró, London 2004, p. 27). Their friendship was based on outsiders from the established art scene and reveled in their disdain of convention. From the early stages of their relationship, the pair explored the increasingly dominant field of abstraction – Calder prompted by his visit to Piet Mondrian”s atelier and Miró with his painterly forms that would eventually morph themselves into his iconic Constellations a few years later. The various coloured discs of Hello Allentown recall the lyrical, semi-abstracted forms of Miró paintings, a visual relationship that is emphasised by the fact that they held together by wires which resonate with the elegant sense of calligraphic line of the Spanish artist.

The present work is a rare example of a mobile that was produced during the latter part of Calder”s career. From the mid-1950s onwards Calder became increasingly concerned with making large-scale outdoor sculptures, making over three hundred monumental works that were placed in city plazas, corporate lobbies, airports and museum during the post-war building boom. It was through an incredible act of generosity and through their friendship with Calder that Philip and Muriel Berman, the renown first owners of Hello Allentown, provided the financing for Homage to Jerusalem-Stabile (1977), a work that would prove to be the last monumental sculpture planned by Calder but which he would not live to see installed on the site he chose on Jerusalem”s Holland Square. That Calder would return to his beloved mobiles during the final year of his life is testament to the importance in which he held this forms. As such, Hello Allentown represents the pinnacle of Calder”s approach to the prevailing march towards abstraction. Calder wanted to redefine the nature of art, and of sculpture in particular, by taking it off the wall and the pedestal and breathing movement into its static form. The resulting mobiles were his revolutionary response to these ideas of movement and colour and Hello Allentown is the superb result of Calder”s unfettered imagination and his unmatched technical skill as an engineer that enabled him to produce works that spring into life with the slightest breath of wind.

MOBILE 91

[September 27th 2012]

Width: 47 in (119 cm)
Height: 37 in (94 cm)
Materials: sheet metal (aluminum), wire, swivels
Colors: unpainted

All of the parts on the mobile can rotate full circle independently from all the other parts
Suitable for indoors or outdoors (I tested it outdoors on a very windy day and it held up just fine)

– See a custom version I made of this mobile –

[Click on image for full size]

via Freudenberger Design Studio (formerly Haus Interior)

See more of my large custom mobiles

It consists of two elements, both with a sort of cut off triangle with one corner on each bent at a 45 degree angle, which on one hand gives it more visual presence and more air resistance (which makes it move with slighter breezes), and on the other hand gives it a mid-century modern feel, not unlike many of the shapes found in Eero Saarinen‘s buildings and structures, one of my favorite architects. However I came up with the idea for the shapes while designing a custom mobile for a private residence at the Butterfield House, considered one of the most architecturally significant modern apartment houses in New York City.

Besides rotating, each element also moves up and down with the wind, and several people who have seen it so far thought it resembles a bird flapping its wings. It’s currently in just plain unpainted metal, you can pick custom colors or a metal finish. And obviously, just because it’s made for outdoors doesn’t mean you can’t hang it indoors.

Available through my mobiles shop on Etsy.

[Click on images to enlarge]

Looking for a different kind of mobile?

Indoor or outdoor, small or large, please see the ones available in my shop or contact me for a custom mobile.

Most of the time I use galvanized wire for my smaller mobiles which you can get at most hardware stores. It usually comes in a roll (see image below), usually 100 feet long and costs around $6 a roll. Two tips: if you can’t find it in the regular hardware section: sometimes hardware stores have wire in the dropped ceiling section and I’ve also seen wire sold in the household section as clothing line. Any place that has fencing supplies can be a good source too. If you can’t find them in any stores near you, you can get them online at a place like McMaster-Carr.

Wire comes in different gauges, the smaller the gauge number the thicker the wire. 18 gauge is very easy to bend and works fine if you’re attaching lightweight things to it like paper shapes. 16 gauge is sort of in the middle, and 14 gauge works good for a little heavier attachments (I use mostly 14 and 16 gauge for my two to three feet sized mobiles where the shapes are made of sheet metal).

If you’re planning on a mobile that’s a little bigger and a little heavier, you will have to get 12 or even 9 gauge wire, but when you go to that thickness it’s becoming increasingly hard to bend. Especially if you start using solid metal rods (rounds), you’ll need to figure out how to bend it in ways other than just with your hands and a pair of pliers. There’s a variety of rod and pipe bending tools that can be applied to certain aspects of making mobiles (if you’re willing to spend the money for one). Di-Acro benders are quality tools in the higher price range (The Art of Bending PDF by Di-Acro can be a useful resource). Or take a look at these instructions on how to make a hook bender, and there are videos on YouTube that show how to make your own rod bending tool.

If you’re planning on making a really large mobile, I recommend you use steel or aluminum rods (rounds) instead of wire, starting with 1/8 inch thick ones. You can get them at a smaller metal retailer such as Metal Supermarkets, or from a large commercial metal supplier like this one. If you’re going even bigger, using solid metal rounds makes the mobile too heavy, especially when using steel. Alexander Calder‘s giant mobile sculpture White Cascade, which measures 100 feet in height, was made with steel and weighs close to 10 tons (!). You want the mobile to move with the air currents. So for a large mobile (33 feet in height) that I made, I used hollow aluminum pipes and aluminum sheet. Despite its size, the mobile ended up weighing only about 100 pounds (45 kg). The 76 foot (23 meters) mobile by Alexander Calder at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, is made with hollow honeycomb-type structures designed by Paul Matisse (grandson of Henri Matisse and son of Pierre Matisse) and covered with paper-thin aluminum, and aluminum and steel bars, with the stress points being strengthened with molybdenum. It weighs 930 pounds (422 kg).

There’s also a table on Wikipedia that shows various data including the gauge, diameter and more of the various wire gauges.

Wire that is already straight (not in a roll) is hard to find. Welding shops sell welding rods (electrodes). They’re straight and usually come in tubes and are usually 36 inches in length, and usually start at a diameter of 1/16″. You can get them in stainless steel or aluminum. Stainless steel is stronger and heavier, aluminum softer and more lightweight. Welding rods come in different alloys. The 1/8″ 4043 aluminum alloy can be bent by hand with pliers, and it’s easy to hammer out flat quickly if needed, but it’s stiff enough to support medium sized elements without flexing. You can also use 1/16″ and 3/32″ of the 4043 aluminum alloy for small mobiles.

You can find 12 gauge straight wire (not very easy to bend by hand) that’s 6 feet long in the dropped ceiling section at Home Depot. I just checked, I don’t think they sell it online but here’s what it looks like in the store (note it comes in a pack of 50):

You can also straighten wire with the help of a drill and a vice (41 sec video), or with the help of a drill and a wooden block (6:08 min video).

Calder also used piano wire (also known as music wire) from time to time. I found straight round music wire made by K&S Precision Metals at local hardware stores and hobby stores, such as HobbyTown. You can also buy it online directly from K&S Precision Metals. I would maybe try a wire diameter of 0.035″ and 0.047″. For larger mobiles, maybe try a diameter such as 0.055″. As you increase the diameter with music wire, it gets challenging, if not impossible, to bend it with regular pliers. Music wire is stronger, it doesn’t bend as easily. As a trade-off, it allows for thinner wire to be used to make a mobile, which makes for a more sophisticated look, depending on personal preferences.

How to attach the wire (arm) to the sheet metal (shape):

Different methods of looping the wire into the two holes:

A photo of an original Calder mobile illustrating his looping technique (click on the photo for the large resolution image):

Calder seems to have preferred mechanical ways to attach parts to each other, most often with the help of loops and rivets. Most of his small to mid sized mobiles appear to be made with the two holes and a loop method. He only seems to have used welding on large mobiles and sculptures when really necessary.

In 1962, George Rickey wrote about Calder’s work: “His metalwork can be labored, clumsy and antiquated. Calder seems uninterested in expanding his command of cutting, bending and joining metal, except by farming out the big commissions to professionals – whereupon they lose his touch and the undeniable charm his technical primitivism sometimes imparts. He steadfastly refused to weld or solder or braze his joints; he has preferred to rivet or lace and crimp with wire (like a stapler), or to bolt.”

You can find a more detailed description on how to attach the arms to the shapes in my How-To Make a Mobile article on Houzz.

Additional resources for making mobiles:

• Blog post I wrote explaining some of the basics about the balance of a hanging mobile
• Blog post with mobile-making related questions that I’ve received via email and my answers
• An article I wrote for MAKE magazine on How to Make a Mobile Based on Calder’s Mobiles
• An article I wrote for Houzz: From the Artist: How to Make a Real Mobile – It’s All in the Balancing Points (there’s a number of questions and answers in the comment section of the article as well). The article is now also available in German
• A history of early mobiles that I’ve put together
• Some technical (“behind-the-scenes”) aspects of designing, making and installing a large custom mobile
• A definition of mobiles
• Q&A about Mobiles for a middle school student’s math class project
• See some of my mobiles if you’re looking for design ideas: handmade mobiles, large custom-made mobiles, 3D printed mobiles and kinetic sculptures

If there’s anything else I can help with, don’t hesitate to contact me.

You can see more of my mobiles in the art mobile section …

I’m always a little unsure about calling my mobiles “modern”. Modern as in abstract sure, and obviously Alexander Calder’s mobiles were modern. But “modern” really means artistic works made between the 1860s and 1970s. Modernism? Retro style? Maybe contemporary? Post-modern? Are we in post-post-modern yet?

Each element in these hanging mobiles can rotate independently full circle.

The circular discs are made of transparent acrylic glass (also known as transparent plexi glass), a type of plastic that looks like glass but does not break.

These mobiles create moving colored circles on the floor, wall or ceiling when a spotlight is pointed at it.

They are only 12 inches / 31 cm tall which makes them ideal for standard 8 foot / 2.4 meter ceilings.

See more of my mobile sculptures made with acrylic glass.

The post Four new acrylic glass mobiles first appeared on Mobile Sculpture Artist - Calder inspired Kinetic Art.]]> https://www.marcomahler.com/new-art-mobile-84/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-art-mobile-84 Thu, 27 Oct 2011 22:29:00 +0000 https://www.marcomahler.com/blog/?p=800 Height: 12 inches (31 cm) Width: 46 inches (117 cm) Diameter (the circular space the mobile requires to rotate freely full circle): 46 inches (117 cm) Handmade Each of the five elements can rotate independently full circle. The circular discs are made of transparent acrylic glass (also known as transparent plexi glass), a type of […]

Height: 12 inches (31 cm)
Width: 46 inches (117 cm)
Diameter (the circular space the mobile requires to rotate freely full circle): 46 inches (117 cm)

Handmade

Each of the five elements can rotate independently full circle.

The circular discs are made of transparent acrylic glass (also known as transparent plexi glass), a type of plastic that looks like glass but does not break.

The mobile creates moving colored circles on the floor, wall or ceiling when a spotlight is pointed at at it.

This mobile is almost four times as wide, and with its height of only 12 inches (31 cm) makes it ideal for standard 8 foot (2.4 meter) ceilings.

Colors: Yellow, Blue, Gray

See more of my mobiles in the art mobile section.

The post New Art Mobile 84 first appeared on Mobile Sculpture Artist - Calder inspired Kinetic Art.]]>

Height: 41 inches – 104 cm
Width: 46 inches – 117 cm
Diameter (the circular space it requires to freely rotate): 70 inches – 178 cm

Made with unpainted sheet metal, wire, unpainted washers, and rivets
Custom colors free of charge upon request

You can see more of my art mobiles in the art mobile section …

Height: 31 inches – 79 cm
Diameter: 24 inches wide at widest point (61 cm) – requires a 36 inches diameter (91 cm) to rotate full circle

This hanging sculpture attempts to reverse the balance structure of a conventional mobile such as an original Calder mobile. The arms of the mobile reach up from the point of attachment to the ceiling.

To see more of my art mobiles, please go to the mobile section.