Biomorphism in Dublin: Trinity College’s Calder Sculpture
We take a closer look at the public sculpture offering a glimpse into the career, achievements and legacy of Alexander Calder...
By
Aoife Allen
May 24, 2024
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
Thousands of tourists flock to Trinity College Dublin every year in order to view the beautiful neoclassical buildings, the historic long library, and the iconic Book of Kells. Often recognised due to its historical art and architecture, it may be surprising for many to learn that Trinity College has quite an extensive collection of contemporary and postmodern art. Many pieces in the college's possession were created by artists whose influence on the Western canon of art is internationally recognised, such as Alexander Calder’s 1967 sculpture Cactus Provisoire, which stands tall in the university’s Fellows Square. As the name suggests, the sculpture represents a simplified cactus form, subtly bringing nature to the forefront of this urban area -yet in order to understand the importance and significance of this piece, we must first understand the development of and innovations made by Calder and his work throughout his career.
Calder began his career with the construction of the famed Cirque Calder, a model miniature circus which the artist continued expanding upon for an extended period of time. His work then developed, and he turned to wire sculpture, also known as “drawing in space”. Calder received recognition for these pieces, however the artist had still yet to reach the peak of his creative output. He spent the next few years taking major steps towards abstraction, inspired by a visit to the studio of De Stijl artist Piet Mondrian in October 1930. He continued to sculpt with wire, yet his gaze shifted from the human to the molecular; the work he began to produce resembles that of atoms and axes, and would not look out of place in a physics laboratory. The pieces he produced in this period explore the qualities of movement and space, as if aligned with Naum Gabo’s constructivist goals to depict space without the depiction of mass; negative space. In another few short months, Calder would evolve his practice even further, making the monumental step into kinetic sculpture by adding motorised elements to abstract sculptures similar to what he had previously produced. These were christened "mobiles" by the artist's friend Marcel Duchamp, kinetic sculptures which are understood to be the earliest manifestations of an art that consciously departed from and rejected the traditional notion of art as a static object.
However, Calder soon grew tired of the motorised sculptures, finding the motion predictable and monotonous; he wrote that although he enjoyed the ability to create purposeful, “positive” movements - relating his pieces to the steady choreography of a ballet - instead of the fitful movements that came with wind power. He enjoyed the limitless possibilities of movement that came with natural intervention, and in 1932 he began to develop the hanging mobile that responded to air currents or physical touch. He developed these artworks with the same collection of materials used since the early days of his career; wire, wood and found objects. Calder continued to experiment, and in 1934 the indoor hanging mobiles were traded for standing structures situated outdoors, constructed of industrial materials. These works featured abstract shapes that balanced on pivoting rods, allowing for naturally shifting forms and ever-changing spatial relationships. However, the elements proved too harsh for his early outdoor sculptures.
G. W. Smith argues in his essay ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Kinetic Sculpture and the Crisis of Western Technocentrism’, that the abandonment of motorised mobiles by Calder was representative of the failings of Modernism as an art movement, and its commitment to the machine as a new key aspect to contemporary life, along with the symbolic abandonment of Modernism's larger goal which was harmony with science, mathematics, engineering, etcetera. Clearly, not everyone favoured the passive and random motion seen in the natural mobiles rather than the intentional movement observed in the motorised ones. Nevertheless, Calder persevered and continued to develop his practice to his own taste. It could be considered that perhaps Calder's rejection of the motor was not at all a rejection of the scientific world as a whole, but an embrace of an alternative part of it; the natural world.
Calder eventually deserted his iconic mobiles altogether in favour of the stabiles he experimented with at the beginning of his career. Several of his outdoor mobiles proved too delicate to withstand the elements, forcing him to reconsider his design process. In 1936 the artist began creating small maquettes that he then enlarged to a monumental size; in 1937 he completed his first artwork using this process, Devil Fish, the first hint of biomorphism in the work of Calder. Although his later mobiles possessed an inherent natural quality, due to their movement being reliant on the elements, they regained a harsh, geometric aesthetic. His large-scale stabiles, however - despite their imposing, weighty, industrial materials - often featured curvilinear lines and abstract forms inspired by the natural world. Another characteristic from this period of his art included voids or unexpected holes, something present in his earlier work, but was further explored later through his monumental projects. It has been said of Calder’s art that, although he effectively retired his mobiles, the biomorphism of his later work expressed movement. Suggesting features such as animal claws, implies the movement of a live being, or even full forms of animals themselves, appearing to be stepping across the landscape. Devil Fish, is the first manifestation of the Trinity College sculpture, Cactus Provisoire (1967).
Cactus Provisoire was created as part of a series in 1967 of similar works, all constructed of sheet steel, welded and riveted together. When the construction of Trinity’s Arts Block was nearly finished and the newly formed Fellows’ Square was close to completion, the task came of finding a suitable structure for the key location. The square itself has an intimidating architectural presence: the Georgian style of the Long Library, the Brutalism of The Library, the distinct 70s style of the Arts Block, and finally the Modernist Long Library Hub. The lawn in the centre of the square is marked with signs discouraging visitors from walking over it, resulting in an opposing green void. It was necessary for the chosen sculpture to fit harmoniously with the surrounding buildings. Its off-centre position allows Cactus Provisoire to exist as a natural addition to the area, instead of insisting upon the work as a mandatory focus of the square. The sculpture exists as part of the journey through the square; the fact that it is in the round helps with this. Despite its imposing, solid structure, the artwork possesses a strong sense of dynamism and movement. A direct link is made to the natural world in this piece through its name, yet the connection is present also in the physical form of the sculpture, as is the case with the majority of Calder’s works.
Calder famously preferred not to analyse his art, stating that “Theories may be all very well for the artist himself, but they shouldn't be broadcast to other people." However, whether this biomorphism was intentional or not, it certainly foreshadowed the work that followed. As the scale of his work grew, so did the scale of the objects from nature he evoked. Calder’s large-scale public art stabiles are associated with nature due to their place in it. Calder’s momentous pieces operate best in large open spaces, gallery rooms just do not suffice to replicate the outdoor landscapes in which these artworks thrive. Calder’s 1967 Cactus Provisoire thoroughly exemplifies this.
