Making Mobiles: Hanging Sculptures

Building on our discussion of wire sculpture earlier this week, this column will explore mobile making with children. Inspired by the work of Alexander Calder and others, mobiles are hanging sculptures which provide great opportunities to explore balance, line, shape and form.  

The recycling bin is a good place to look for components for mobiles. Bits of cardboard, plastic bottle caps, ribbon, string and even strips of paper and fabric can be incorporated into mobiles. It is easiest to work out balance if the mobile is hanging while it is constructed. A simple mobile can begin with a coat hanger, straw or stick hanging above a table. For a slightly more complex design, cross two sticks, creating an X shaped form to begin.

Young artists can then explore tying found objects, shells, small drawings and wire sculptures to the mobile. As the sculpture grows so will the artist's understanding of connection and balance. Each piece impacts other pieces and the interplay and interaction change with new additions. Some artists will hang all pieces from the same beginning piece while others will enjoy developing strings and chains of connected pieces.

Sea shells, seed pods and other natural objects can add a nice nature quality to mobiles as well as bringing in a sound element. Pieces can be hung in such a way that movement of the mobile can create a wind chime effect.

Mobiles making can also be a fun way to make art with a collection of small toys, erasers or figures. Tie each to a bit of thin string or fishing line and hang. Varying the lengths of the string allows the artist to create a cascading effect, a pattern of long and short or any other variety of arrangements in space.

Wire sculptures can be combined with solid shapes and objects cut from painted cardboard to get a fun combination of forms, shapes and colors  Artists may choose a theme for a mobile, depicting favorite characters from a book or movie. Perhaps the connections between characters or scenes help tell something about the story or scene depicted.

Hang mobiles from a ceiling, light fixture or above a bed and enjoy your moving sculpture decoration.