We're All Ears :: May Reveal :: Movement + Momentum

I wish that I could say that I have progressed further into my art-making for this upcoming show, but I can't. I have been a bit frustrated that I have bitten off, as usual, more than I can chew. But it is starting to coalesce, so that is good. Keep sending me good vibes and major mojo! I need all the support I can get!

I have gone back to reading the book Calder Jewelry. Finding this out of print book a few years ago and getting it for a steal cements it as one of my very favorite resources.

Calder's use of materials is genius to me. I love the way that he manipulates wire and repeats patterns, like swirls and spirals. He created his jewelry in overlooked base materials, like brass and steel, which is what I feel most comfortable working with, especially steel.

So in true Erin fashion, I left this task to the absolute last minute. And almost forgot. Then I saw no less than 3 sticky notes that clearly said in all caps - EARRINGS EVERYDAY! Whoops. Saved by a sticky note.

I decided that I would use steel wire to attach these gold plated brass drops that I picked up at the Bead & Button show a few years ago for some reason I can't quite recall (which is most of the things in my studio). The challenge was to make the coils and bends in the wire that would balance.

I like the direction that these are going in and I will be focusing on these simple forms and materials to go along with the polymer clay mokume gane that I am working with for other jewelry and hopefully - gulp! - some actual mobiles a la Calder.

Now it is your turn. Show us how you channeled your inner Calder!

We're All Ears :: May Inspiration :: Movement + Momentum

mo·men·tum

/mōˈmen(t)əm/

noun

1. the quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.
2. strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events
3. the impetus gained by a moving object.

I am extremely busy mounting an art exhibition that will go up at the end of June and run through the end of August. The show is called "Momentum: Art in Motion" and all the artwork will either have actual movement or be evocative of movement. It is lovingly inspired by my daughter and her fabulous dance troupe.

Alexander Calder is one of my very favorite artists and also an inspiration for my exhibit. His mobiles are fascinating in their simplicity. I enjoy watching and studying them as they glide through the space on the mere current of air.

Rouge et Noir, 1955, Alexander Calder

Since Calder and his mobiles are a big part of my inspiration for this exhibit, and I have a very tight deadline of getting all the work in my head out of my hands, this month we will be inspired by Alexander Calder and his modern mobiles.

In 2014 the famed auction house, Christie's, sold nine of Calder's mobiles that were inspired by a little known trip he took to India. Below is a short video of the works.


Here are links to short videos showing each of the mobiles up for auction. They ranged in value from $500,000 to almost $12,000,000! Awesome!

Earrings are the perfect embodiment of kinetic sculptures. So this month, to help keep me on track with my lofty goals of new art every day in the month of May dedicated to my exhibit, our inspiration is the mobiles of Calder for our We're All Ears challenge. Pick your favorite Calder mobile and make some earrings inspired by it!

Looking forward to seeing how you translate the theme of MOVEMENT + MOMENTUM into earrings on Friday, May 18th!

We're All Ears :: December Inspiration

'All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream." ~Edgar Allen Poe
 
Last month was a whole lot of fun to see how you translated an animated short into an array of beautiful earrings. I hope you don't mind that I am inclined to bring in another little short film to inspire you!

I stumbled on this amazing art installation and just knew that it had to be our inspiration. This type of art is called anamorphic, a form of perspective. Anamorphic art uses a "distorted projection or perspective requiring the viewer to use special devices or occupy a specific vantage point to reconstitute the image. The word "anamorphosis" is derived from the Greek prefix ana-, meaning back or again, and the word morphe, meaning shape or form" (source:Wikipedia). Each anamorphic image is special and distinct and has it's own way to be looked at. You need to look and be surprised by the distortion of your expectations.

Breaking Wave is an anamorphic kinetic sculpture created for Biogen-Idec's new headquarters in Cambridge, MA. The sculpture was created by Plebian Design and Hypersonic.

Breaking Wave tells the story of the search for patterns, and the surprising results that come by changing our point of view. 804 suspended spheres move in a wave-like formation. When the wave crests and breaks, the balls hover momentarily in a cloud.

From almost anywhere in the room, this cloud is purely chaotic, but step into one of two hidden spots, and this apparent chaos shows a hidden pattern.

From the first, a labyrinth hints at the search for knowledge, and from the second, a Fibonacci spiral inspired flower reminds us of the natural order and patterns found in nature.

Above the sculpture lies the mechanism that drives its motion. A motor drives a large rotating stainless steel cam. Thirty-six rollers follow the contour of the cam, which traces out the overall waveform. Each roller slides on a linear track, pulling a cable that spins one of the 36 output shafts. Distributed along each shaft are different sized drums from which the wooden sphere (coated in zinc and steel, and then rusted chemically) are hung. As the shafts rotate, the drums pull the balls up and down – larger drums pull balls higher. In this way, the size of the 804 drums mechanically programs the images hidden in the cloud of balls. The piece was built with many hands, and several miles of wire rope (source: Hypersonic).

Breaking Wave from PLEBIAN DESIGN on Vimeo.

Watch the short video if you can (make it full screen by clicking the little X shape in the bottom right corner for maximum impact!). I love seeing the undulating waves that these little wooden spheres create. And even more fascinating to me is watching the gears and cogs of the mechanism that makes the sculpture come to life.

Earrings are, by their very nature, little kinetic sculptures. They move and dangle and can be different when viewed from alternate angles. More than any other jewelry, earrings are easy to play with motion and patterns and illusion. Keeping color to a minimum, will help you emphasize the structure and the movement.
I hope you will explore this with your earrings this month!

What inspires you about this the motion in this sculpture?

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To participate in the We're All Ears creative challenge:

Make earrings inspired by this inspiration.

Write a post on your blog.

Add your exact blog post URL link to the
InLinkz code right here on 

Friday, December 19th.

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