How Do You Create A Calder Mobile?
The sculptor Alexander Calder said “To most people who look at a mobile, it’s no more than a series of flat objects that move. To a few, though, it may be poetry.” Here are some instructions to make your own small version of this spatial poetry. • Cut out the wood pieces using a jig saw or chop saw. For a first mobile, it is good to start with simple square wood pieces measured 2″ x 3″. Cut out 9 pieces. For advanced mobiles, you can come up with all kinds of varied shapes. • Clamp one piece at a time to the work bench and drill a 1″ deep hole into the edge. • With the needle nose pliers, cut off a 15″ strand of wire and straighten it. • Make a small U-shaped hook at the end. • To train yourself in making loops in the wire, and to use as a template for the following wires, make loops in the wire strand every 1″, so that you end up with 12 loops. We’ll call this piece the mobile tool. • Start with making the base of our hanging mobile. At the base there are two wood pieces balanced on a
