The marvelous toy identified+Alexander Calder

[kestrell]

As it turns out, Alexx followed up on the marvelous toy suggestions
http://kestrell.livejournal.com/649778.html
and managed to locate my marvelous toy, which is called a Quix
http://www.amazon.com/Quix-Space-Changers/dp/B003G79QVI
which is also referred to as a "sculpture toy."

Coincidentally, one of the artists I have been intrigued by lately is
Alexander Calder
http://calder.org/life.html
who was known for making wire sculptures from hardware store wire and found objects
http://www.thecityreview.com/calder.html
although he is also famous as the inventor of the mobile: "The name "mobile" was given by his friend Marcel Duchamp, a perfect description for the abstract, airborne sculptures that Calder liberated from 'mass,' incorporating movement as a "material" itself for the first time. The sculptor described it as 'drawing in space.' " [quoted from the above-mentioned Web page]
That quote from Calder about using wire as a means of drawing three-dimensionally makes him particularly accessible to talking about art for blind people.

Calder is also famous for his toy circus made up of moving wire sculptures. You can watch a video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6jwnu8Izy0 .

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Last week the Google doodle was a Calder mobile. If one clicked it, one got a moving cursor and could set the panels moving. The observant were rewarded by matching changing shadows below.

The French film production company's video logo is the word Pathé cut out of one panel and an outlined rooster cut from another. They slowly rotate until the chicken shadow is centered under the name — looks like it was designed by Calder, but my net's too slow to get the answer tonight.