Balance
Week 2
​
Materials: Card board, Ply wood, Fiberboard
​
Task: Create a sculptural artwork out of planes from card and wood, with the theme of "balance"
Brain storming
I began by considering the different types of balancing forces: pulling or pushing, gravitational, structural illusions ect.
Attempt 1
I really wanted to explore the balance that occurs with counterweights and gravity. Specifically, my inspiration came from large boats that have extremely heavy lead keels far bellow the actual boat that keep it upright.
​
With this task my main challenge was:
How do I create a suspended sculpture without using string or rope?
​​
After making some mock-up sketches, I decided to heavily use the boat as my template and mimic its almond shape to be placed between two edges, making a bridge between them. The right-angled seating areas around QUT were my first lightbulb as I realised I could suspend the sculpture between them, letting the counterweight hang down below.
I considered adding a large triangular plane along the top of the original horizontal plane to play with the effects of the counterweight. The vertical triangle would allow me to swat the sculpture from side to side, letting the counterweight bring it back to a balanced middle. Theoretically, on a larger scale with different materials this could work with the natural wind; swaying the sculpture side to side and watching it self-right and regain balance on its two ledges.
Artist Research
Jean Tinguely
Swiss sculptor
​Jean Tinguely creates large-scale kinetic sculptures using metal and planes (1954). His sculptures move with wind and touch, wobbling and pivoting around itself until self-correcting and reaching a still balance once more.
This autonomy within an object is very interesting to me and something I had in mind when creating my self-righting boat sculpture this week.
Alexander Calder
American abstract sculptor
​Calder created interesting and unconventional public sculptures. Early sculptures were kinetic mobiles similar to Jean Tinguely, however I am most interested in his Mercury Fountain (1937). It was commissioned as a memorial in Spain for the deaths of workers in mines (mainly from mercury poisoning). Instead of water, the fountain flows with pure mercury. The dance between shining beauty, the implication of life within the fountain motif, juxtaposed with the toxic and deadly liquid metal flowing were nourishing water should.
