Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was a sculptor whose art I have enjoyed for many years. My first exposure to his work was a large abstract stabile in Chicago. Later I was able to see some of his mobiles, for which he is more famous. I personally prefer the mobiles.

A story about the genesis of his creativity with mobiles is that he was sitting near a coil of rope on a boat off the coast of Guatemala on a calm sea. The setting sun was a blazing red disk in the west and the moon appeared as a silver coin in the sky to the east. The two celestial orbs created a balance and juxtaposition that he has since replicated and imitated many times.

Mobiles are artistic devices that illustrate structural equilibrium regardless of how simple or complex the design. Many parents hang simple mobiles above the bassinet of their babies. A teeter-totter is a simple form of stabile. A balance scale, rope swing or plumb bob is a simple mobile.

Some of Calders pieces are very complex. Bars or rods and disks of various materials, sizes and shapes are generally suspended from a single strand of wire or cable. To these may be added additional bars, discs, plates and cables each adding breadth, width, mass, color, texture and complexity to the artistic expression.

It is also noteworthy to mention here that mobiles move, oscillate, swing, fluctuate and vacillate from side to side and within the structural elements themselves. The design is such that the various sculptures are able to move, hence the name, mobile.

As evidenced by Calders experience off the Guatemalan coast, nature seeks balance, order and equilibrium. The sun and moon in our sky are perfectly balanced between light and darkness, daytime and evening. The sun, as a bright red disk, suspended opposite the moon, as a shimmering silver coin, imitates this balance and contrast. Dry land against water, whether a river, stream, lake, ocean, or sea is also in perfect balance and contrast one toward the other. Temperatures, winds, ocean currents, storms and periods of calm are illustrative of another type of order and balance. Lately I have been thinking about Calders mobiles as metaphors for social, cultural, religious and political complexity.

Some aspects of society seem to be in opposition or contrast to others. Social trends often swing like a pendulum seeking balance. There is oscillation in governmental power. There is fluctuation in the values and propensities of groups and individuals. Various facets of contemporary culture contribute to societal complexity and movement. These can be metaphorically illustrated in complex pieces of art.