The Universe

The Museum of Modern Art (New York, the USA).

At the beginning of his experiments with moving objects, Calder used motors that propelled metal or wooden structures. In the sculpture “Universe”, he tried to convey the constant rotation of cosmic bodies and constellations, which do not slow down for a minute. In this case, two spherical shapes moved along their trajectories with different speeds. The sculptor was seriously interested in astronomy, and he correlated this endlessly repeating cycle with the movement of the solar system. This work, as well as several other motorized objects, became an important step towards the invention of “mobiles”, which were set in motion without the participation of mechanics.