HOW TO MAKE MOBILES JOHN LYNCHPhotographs ofthe author's mobiles by Saunders, Now York Copyright 1959 by The Stadio Pablo, ne Alright reserced No pat of hs book my Monefetrd nthe Unt Stats of Amerie Lmao” concn cara cao UME S-TS8 2545079910 Nounena See CONTENTS Wurar Is 4 Momus? Baxance, Mareniats axo Toots Aw Easy Moniie yon rae Becivwen To MaKe ‘Vaniarioxs ow & THENCE ‘A Canonoxao Mooi.x oF Seven Precs Marat. Mopars [RLEVEN-PIUCE DRSIGN NO, 2 RLEVEN-PIECE DESIEN NO. -Frwstis aNd Coton Screnees ‘Momus wir Guass aND Oran MATERALs Tonas ron Cauaring Monts o Your Own BASSLSSRSSRBEREAe WHAT IS A MOBILE? ‘Puzasune ne soveair i as great in our daly lives ss ur light in color or sound, The soaring, swooping Right of 1 bird lea falling « Bag Sutering, water dowing—all are move- ments which give ts a great deal of pleasure or excitement oF pesee, according to our moods. A. mobile is created for the sake Df movement and iti the particule way in which i moves that faptiges ou attention and intrigues os ‘Mobiles have very litle tradition or history behind them, They sxe anew at form, ‘The frst mobile in the style with which most ‘of us ae familiar was erented in the carly 1980 by Alexander alder. It was he who gave this att is whole general direction and specific style, AB an art frm, mobiles are related to selpt palatlng, drawing, and design. Because they are threeimensionsl, art etic often refer to them as mobile selpture. This tem is Intended to explain that mobiles are a fom of sculpture which ‘aves. I think however, that this emphasis onthe sculptural qu eso mts midge gars he very cls relatos ‘of mobiles to-druwing and palnting. ‘The many pieces are lke sosettes or outlines. When palnted chey have much the same ‘quality ax shapes oat out of an abstactpatnting “Traditional seulpture is defined as a continuous threelimen sional mass surouded by space and light. Tt i a solid form ‘which occupies an unchanging volume of space. The modem sealpture by Henry Moore is'much closer tothe particular seulp- toad quility of «mobil. Te remains a sold form but incomporates ‘ime space and light ax part ofits design, The plastic construc tions of Gabo ate stil a form of seulptre but their transparency destroys more of the feeling of impenetrable solidity. Ths, light, space, and form became almost equal. These constructions are sspended in the alr and, as they tur, present many combinations 7