Seeing Calder Through His Shadows

Calder Shadows, Venus Over Manhattan

gallery review

Hyperallergic

Alexander Calder’s “Ex-Octopus” and its shadow 

Alexander Calder’s “Ex-Octopus” and its shadow 

http://hyperallergic.com/98965/seeing-calder-through-his-shadows/

Calder’s mobiles aim for mimesis in their biomorphic forms and behavior; they function as nervous systems with reactions and reflexes. Calder Shadows, on the other hand, is not about nature — it’s a spectacle. Fans blow the mobiles at a defined pace, while the lighting effects cast angular frames of white illumination reminiscent of German Expressionist cinema.