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whereas alexander calder’s stoic mobiles and stabiles are fit for office lobbies and college campuses, his toys are where the sculptor expressed his whimsy and his magic. today on the top floor of the whitney museum you can find calder’s circus, a groups of tiny wire figurines the artist carried with him in suitcases from his 20s to his death, performing silly little one-room shows by pantomiming with the little figurines while his wife changed records. he invests each character with a voice, gesture and a stage set and costume, making the predictable act of playing with one’s old toys fascinating to watch. best of all, carlos vilardebo’s classic film of calder’s circus is available for free at DVD quality on the ubuweb site (download 228MB avi file here). some parts of the act have also been posted on youtube:
. Leo is a artist, inventor and all around practical person in the Tangible Media Group at the Media Lab. He has a background in sculpture, architecture and industrial design as well as an MS from the Media Lab spent working on the kitchen of the future. He is on a search for truth.
