Calder-Inspired Mobile Ketubah. By Michelle Kempner Photography by Jeff Reeder In Jewish weddings, there is a ceremonial signing of the ketubah, the Jewish wedding contract.
Millennia ago, ketubah were very contractual, but since then have evolved into a more ceremonial aspect of a Jewish wedding. When I got married in 2004, I had never heard of a ketubah before. I did research and found plenty of sites where you could buy ketubah with artwork and poetic text ready to go. None of the available options were personal enough for me or my husband-to-be, so we decided to make our own in the style of a Calder mobile.
Materials Lightweight metal sheet Metal wire Files and sandpaper 5-minute epoxy or solder Needlenose pliers Drill Nibblers or metal saw String or fishing line Transparent sticker paper or photo emulsion Directions This is an example of a ketubah featured at Ketubah.com. Step 1: Choose your shapes for the mobile pieces. Step 4: Use needlenose pliers to bend the wire to attach the mobile pieces. Related. Create Your Own Calder Mobile. Yesterday you learned about Alexander Calder, his circus, his stabiles, and his mobiles.
Today, try your hand at creating a mobile, just like Calder. Supplies Needed: Construction PaperScissorsHole PunchThread (or yarn for younger children)Sticks White Glue This is a great project for older kids who are learning about weight and balance, though, with a little help, younger children can also enjoy creating mobile art. Gather your materials. Cut out shapes from your construction paper. Lay your sticks out in the order you plan to tie them.
Tie your sticks together. Have an adult help you hang your mobile from the ceiling or in a doorway. Enjoy your mobile as it swings and spins with the air currents in your home. Return to main page. Alexander calder mobiles - modern art mobile - kinetic - mid-century modern. Alexander Calder mobiles have become popular among modernists and those into modern design, art, and midcentury modern style.
There is something extremely compelling in Calder's work, and in the look and style of his mobiles. I cannot take my eyes off the moving art, the arms that gracefully move at the slightest breeze. I am in awe of the peaceful nature of Alexander Calder mobiles, and the hangning mobiles of other artists today. Unique Hanging Mobiles on The Abstract Home - Flensted Mobiles, Calder Style, and Others. How to Create a Calder Mobile: 11 steps. Why Buy A Calder When You Can Make Your Own Abstract Mobile? From the December 1954 issue of Popular Science, "How to make an abstract mobile," instructions which were preceded by "How to Make a Christmas Tree Mobile": You can really express yourself in an abstract mobile.
Unlike the Christmas-tree mobile, which is a literal mobile designed to represent a definite object, the abstract mobile gives the builder free rein, unlimited as to size, shape, or mood. The design and balance of an abstract mobile can make it move dreamily, solemnly, or wittily--like the difference between an exuberant fountain and a lazy, meandering stream. From this photo in Hanns Reich's 1962 book Children and their Fathers, it looks like there's at least one dad who really expressed himself: How to make an abstract mobile, Popular Science December 1954 [google magazines via dinosaurs + robots, which has helpfully large scans] MODmobiles: modern hanging mobile art, Alexander Calder midcentury mid-century kinetic atomic art installations hanging mobile art gallery store and custom mobile art.
Make a mobile art project. First thing to do is to find the objects that will hang from your mobile... they should be small and light for a simple mobile (although, keep in mind, that there are some really cool mobiles made with huge plates of welded steel)... but to start, keep it simple.
For the one I made for my daughter, I used little alphabet blocks into which i sunk a tiny screw-eye (sold for attaching wire to the back of picture frames). For this instructable, I used tea-bags because they were handy. Next thing is to find some hanging wire. If you are working with larger stuff, you can use welding rods, which come in 1/16" sizes and have nice, copper coating. For smaller items, I used piano wire, which I got at a shop that sells remote-control airplanes. Then, you need some tools, specifically, pliars and nippers. Wherever you work, do your best to get a hook in the ceiling. Finally, I want to acknowledge a video that I watched while working on this. Hanging Mobiles & Stabiles - The Mobile Factory by Unigami. Mobiles by Julie Frith: Modern Art.