Essa instalação de 440 kg,criada por Alexander Calder pende do teto na National Gallery of Art (Washington,DC)em perfeito equilíbrio estático (Figura 11.2 do Livro Física para Universitários-Mecânica (Wo
I want to make things that are fun to look at. (Alexander Calder, 1957).
Calder earned a college degree in mechanical engineering, but after several dissatisfying positions as an engineer, he enrolled in art school in New York and worked as a newspaper illustrator.
About the photo:
Connected to the ceiling at one point, the mobile has twelve arms and thirteen shaped panels clustered into two groups. The upper group, described as “wings,”includes six black panels and one blue panel, all hanging horizontally. By contrast, the lower group consists of six vertical red panels, described as “blades.” To facilitate motion, these blades are fastened to the arms at an angle so that air hits them just as the wind hits a boat’s sail. The speed and direction of the mobile vary,depending on air currents.The mobile has an orbit of just over eighty-five feet —that’s the average length of a blue whale and the length of a high school basketball court! Calder carefully planned the arms at different heights so that shapes never hit each other when they move. At times, the red blades seem ready to collide with the building,but, playfully, they avoid contact by mere inches and continue onward in slow revolution.
