A mobile maker's work is never done. (But that's a good thing.) Here's a sketch of the next project in our queue:
It's a suspended sculpture that will span the 55-foot-long hallway of an early childhood learning center in Tulsa. The top image is the side view, and the bottom image is the underneath view—the view the kiddos will enjoy.
Now pardon us while we get to work on it!
A few fun facts about the recent installation in Arkansas:
The massive atrium, begging to be filled.
The crate of goods.
Matt, diving in.
White, er, blue-glove treatment.
Hi Ben!
Pride. Relief. Exhaustion.
We've spent the past few weeks prepping to install this mobile (our tallest yet!). It will require a lot of on-site assembly, so the prep work hasn't been terribly glamorous or photo-worthy. But this moment always feels worth documenting:
All the mobile components are all crated up for a cross-country trip, and the freight company should arrive any minutes. Safe travels, mobile! We'll see you in Arkansas!
Several months ago, we created a set of interactive mobile kits (similar to these) to accompany the Calder exhibit at Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.
Today, we got an e-mail from the kind folks at Duke with this subject line: "Nasher visitors LOVE the mobiles."
As if that wasn't enough to make our day, the e-mail detailed how the interactive mobiles have been a huge hit at the museum, and how the museum has even created an online game where visitors can display their actual mobile creations in a virtual gallery. (And if you haven't been to Nasher Museum of Art, you can mess around with their sample creations.)
But the very best part? This facebook gallery of happy Nasher patrons. That's a whole lot of people discovering the joy of mobile making.
This picture also shows the enormity of the materials we picked up last week. Matt is surely contemplating some important geometric equation. But it kinda looks like he's psyching himself up to hula hoop with that thing.
Matt and Ben knew this next set of materials for the Arkansas hospital mobile wouldn't fit into the trusty Subaru. But they were surprised that even with a rented pickup truck they were pushing their luck!
And right about now, we're glad we reorganized and tidied up the shop back in March. With three big projects in the queue this summer, we're going to have some seriously tight quarters for awhile. (No complaints, though. It's a good problem to have!)
Right now, we're starting the fabrication process on this mobile. Step one? Acquiring materials.
Pictured here, nestled in the back of Matt's trusty Subaru, is the first set of materials: a bunch of rings, made of rolled stainless steel tubing, that will serve as the mobile's framework.
Ben just got himself a fancy new camera, and he's been snapping shots like crazy to tinker with settings and refine his skills. If you notice a dramatic improvement in images around here, you can thank Ben and the fancy camera.
The kind folks at Leith Honda Dealership in Raleigh sent along images of the mobiles we made hanging in their dealership. Enjoy!
