SOUTHERN CROSS [MAQUETTE] 1963

Editor: So, this is Alexander Calder’s "Southern Cross [Maquette]" from 1963, crafted from steel. There's something playful yet strangely imposing about it. What grabs you when you look at it? Curator: Ah, Calder! He always makes me think of a celestial dance, doesn't he? It’s so very modern. I always wonder what stars he gazed at when he built this. Do you think this hints at Abstract Expressionism? The shapes remind me of Miro, maybe Arp, too? Editor: Absolutely. There’s that element of biomorphic abstraction, a common theme in that period. But does it always have to ‘mean’ something? I think sometimes its inherent balance is the key. Curator: That is the Modernist in you! (chuckles) But maybe the balance *is* the meaning! How's the counterpoint achieved with only these two colours? Can form communicate a particular idea to us through careful equilibrium? Or does Calder want us to consider how little it takes for visual harmony to begin its play, its mobile symphony? Editor: I like that idea of the 'symphony’ actually. Thinking about how stillness gives way to gentle movement...the tension created between the red grounded part and the hovering black elements. It's making me see the sculpture differently. Curator: It makes me wonder, what are we missing in all our other static, earthbound artworks? Calder shows how one small push could create new narratives, doesn't it? Editor: Definitely. I suppose, beyond its construction, its kinetic potential is key to the work. A simple shift in perspective, maybe literally, breathes life into it. Curator: Well put. Calder gets us moving, both physically and conceptually. It almost seems like his forms have begun walking alongside us into the future...