Map to Falling

For the map show at The Upstairs Gallery, I created my most elaborate piece to date. I took some pictures with an ugly backdrop, but they don't do it justice because there's no space in my house to display it properly. To get the full effect, you'll just have to come see it in person at the opening ;-).

The entire thing is about seven feet tall and consists of three sections: a painted table, one mobile above, and one mobile below. There are also LED puck lights installed under the table to illuminate the lower mobile. My idea was to have one continuous mobile that tumbled from the ceiling to the floor, and the arrows and symbols suggest destinations along the way. How many elements can you spot from the key?

The table in the middle provides an anchor, and it eases the technical challenge of a making long thin mobile -- the arms at the top would have to be quite long to counterbalance the extra weight below. The map painted on the tabletop acts like a calm reflection of the fragmented motion above and below it.


Here are some closeups of the various parts: