Verbal Description Transcript:

This Untitled work was made as a prop for the ballet Métaboles in 1969. It’s made from painted pieces of sheet metal and wire. Overall, it spans an area of about 11 feet by 10 feet. The sculpture is installed hanging by a central wire from the ceiling of the gallery. It is an abstract hanging mobile, so its various parts can move as the air currents dictate. From the central wire, a branching arrangement of slender metal rods extends outwards and downwards. The rods are loosely attached to each other by little metal rings, or loops, that allow them to move independently. Attached to the end of each metal rod is a flat metal form – there are eleven in all. These flat metal pieces differ in color, shape and size. The smallest piece is a deep red disc. The other shapes are more irregular: some of them are polygons or are roughly triangular, but with rounded corners. The elements are primarily red, with two each in blue, white, and yellow. The shape and composition of the sculpture varies according to its movement. From certain angles, some of the flat metal elements almost disappear when viewed sideways on. The colors also vary depending on how the light catches the metal, sometimes appearing brighter and sometimes almost black.