Kinetic Sculptures

A sculpture or three dimensional work of art, can not only be stationary, but kinetic.  Kinetic sculptures can and does move.  Many times mobiles are fixed to a baby’s crib to engage the child in active visuals.  The same principle is used in kinetic sculptures except they are works of art and are for every age to appreciate.  The intriguing element of a kinetic sculpture is that it changes because it moves.
Alexander Calder was innovative in the area of kinetic sculpting.  IN 1960, he created a sculpture, The Star.  The Star is a light mobile which changes with the slightest movement of wind.  Even though the he uses nonfigurative shapes, they almost resemble birds in colors of black and red, with a single yellow star at the top.  These shapes were made from thin strips of sheet metal and attached by rods to hold them in place.
The lightness of weight gives the sculpture an airy effect.  The lightness adds to the mobility of the art.  The rods are connected to the sheet metal shapes so that there is mobility in there as well.  The concept is for the statue to be a little different every time one looks at it.  The sculpture looks as if it glides in the air.  While Calder’s first kinetic sculptures relied on cranks and pulleys, he totally relied on wind to move his mobiles.

Calder’s kinetic sculpture The Star was a unique form of abstract art.  The objective of the sculpture was shape and color.  The Star is a sculpture that is a new work of art every time the air moves around it.

Works Cited
Calder, A. The Star. 1960
Delahunt, M. (1996-2008). Artlex. Retrieved April 12, 2008 from