Artist Statement
Mobiles transport me to a place where time and motion come together, creating never-ending ballets. I view them as objects of poetry, beauty and grace, as opportunities for meditative interludes, contemplation and calm. Once completed and introduced into the environment, each one takes on its own independent life and personality. Also, as a musician, I see them as physical manifestations of music in motion and can even imagine “hearing” them as they move.
Attaching forms to wires is like adding notes to the lines of a musical staff, since both music and mobiles rely on structure and form, resulting in movement and balance. Each mobile moves as a constant theme and variation, a randomness determined by ever-changing currents of air, yet ordered and scripted by my design. For me, both mobiles and music function in similar ways, expressing my heart and soul as their creator, and my desire to add beauty and richness to people’s lives.
Bio
While in the midst of a fulfilling career composing music for TV & Film, (31 different prime time TV series, edaltonmusic.com), I wasn’t exactly looking for a new venture to add to my already busy schedule. That all changed in 2014 when I visited the LACMA exhibit “Calder and Abstaction: From Avant-Garde to Iconic”. To say that I was floored would be an understatement. Experiencing Alexander Calder’s mobiles close up, in person, was truly a life-changing experience for me. I knew immediately I had to learn how to make them.
So started my new journey; to learn how to design and build my own mobiles. I became obsessed and dove into studying Calder’s work and the work of other great mobile artists such as Mark Davis & George Rickey. I’m constantly striving to define my own style, find my own voice. To create objects of poetry and beauty that evoke contemplation and wonderment.
Making a mobile is a great metaphor for life, to find the balance. In my life, balance between art, music & family. Every day that I work on mobiles is filled with immense enjoyment. The joy of discovering and creating something new. Designing and building a new mobile and watching it come to life with the slightest whiff of air. Sculpting with the basic elements of earth, gravity and air. It’s all in the balance.
Editions
I make limited editions of most pieces in my gallery. I make each piece by hand.
Photograph by Denis M. Hannigan