Build Mobiles & Hangings

Black and white photo of Ruth Asawa working on a wire sculpture.
Ruth Asawa working on one of her wire sculptures, 1956. Photo © 2022 Imogen Cunningham Trust. Artwork © 2025 Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc. Courtesy David Zwirner

Build decorative sculptures incorporating mass, tension and balance.

  • What is a catenary curve? Who derived the equation? Where do you see catenary curves on a day to day basis?
  • How did Antonio Gaudi use weighted hanging models in his architectural practice?
  • Who is Alexander Calder and what are kinetic sculptures?
  • Who are Ruth Asawa and Isamu Noguchi, and what kind of sculptural forms did they make? How did they use mass, tension and balance in their work?
  • How can you incorporate the Platonic solids or other ExaPlex models in to a hanging sculpture? How can you create movement and dynamism in your work?

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