Acclaimed film “Alexander Calder” finally available on DVD

Alexander Calder, a film by Roger Sherman, that aired originally as part of the “American Masters” series on PBS in 1998 is finally available on DVD. The acclaimed film shows Calder at work in his studio and never-before-seen archival films and photographs. It features interviews with Arthur Miller, Ellsworth Kelly, I.M. Pei, Brendan Gill, Marla Prather, David Ross, Calder’s daughters and grandson, Sandy Rower, and others.

Here’s a preview:

– Read the Utne Reader’s review –

– Available through First Run Features –

– Also available on Amazon.com –

Two new designs for custom hanging mobiles

Two new designs for custom hanging mobiles:

The above mobile would be attached to the ceiling at two points to keep the wider upper half of the mobile from rotating full circle. [Update: see photos of the finished mobile]

– See more of my designs for custom hanging mobiles –

Large Custom Calder-Style Mobile Installation in Buenos Aires

These are photos I recently received from a client. I made a 12 feet (3.5 meter) tall Calderesque mobile for his two story atrium. I previously posted photos of this mobile at a local park a day after it snowed. After taking those pictures, I disassembled the mobile and pack it small enough so that it could be taken onto an airplane. Then the mobile was reassembled on location in Buenos Aires by the client’s assistant, Jorge:

The shapes (paddles) had to be reattached and the new rivets needed to be painted.

Mini-pulley system for the roof designed by Jorge to raise the mobile:

The design of the mobile:

Measurements of the atrium:

The design of the mobile photoshopped into pictures of the space (the colors for the mobile had yet to be decided at this point):

Photos of the installed mobile:

From the client: “The mobile is truly beautiful! [It] lives up to our expectations – which were inordinately high! The wonderful thing we discovered is the full meaning of the word ‘mobile’. With the advent of winter, we have turned on the heat on occasion. What that causes is real movement — almost a revolution per minute as the warm air floats upward. At night, with the lights on, the shadows play across the wall as well. Beautiful!”

And for kicks, a local cafe in Buenos Aires around the corner from the residence where the mobile now is:

Photo of Local Cafe Buenos Aires

Read more of my blog about mobiles or see more of my large custom mobiles.

Photos of a large custom mobile I installed in Texas last week

Photos of a large custom mobile I installed in a lobby at a commercial real estate company in Houston, Texas last week:

The shapes of the “paddles” are inspired by Alexander Calder‘s mobiles. Here with a Barcelona Chair designed by Mies van der Rohe:

The custom design is based on proposals I previously posted on my blog here. The custom colors for the mobile are based on the circular rug in the lobby.

Photo: Marilyn Franklin

– On-site installation took less than an hour –

Photo: Marilyn Franklin

Measuring 12 feet (3 1/2 meters) in height and 10 feet (3 meters) in diameter, made of steel, rivets, primer and paint. The mobile weighs about 15 pounds (7 kilograms).

Email from the project manager/designer: “Thanks again for all the care and time you took creating the beautiful mobile. I got a text from the client today that it “looks fantastic!” – he is very pleased.”

Read more of my blog about mobiles or see more of my large custom mobiles.