Partsnpieces | New MCM Hanging Art Mobile from Mark Leary

On transformation

“Sometimes,” red fox explained, “standing still is the best way to move forward.”

Blue sparrow wasn’t sure she understood, but she nodded her head anyway.

Mobile: Partsnpieces. I had too many tabletop experiments from the past few days staring at me, so I decided to think about The Bobs differently, making a mobile using the same parts and pieces.

Size: Approx. 16" wide x 38" tall

Colors: Montana water-based spray paints in Burnt Umber, Deep Black, Yellow Ochre, Azo Orange, Cobalt Blue, and Titanium White

Thoughts when making: I’ve been researching air filtration systems. My studio doubles as a drying room. And the VOCs are BAD. Since I have a decent relationship with my brain, I figure I should keep it as safe as I CAN.

You probably already know this, but many air purifiers have carbon at the core. The unit I’m looking at has 30 pounds of carbon. All meant to adsorb (and, yes, I learned that word, too) gasses. The bad stuff.

It occurred to me that here’s this element that’s sole purpose – in this capacity – is to adsorb bad stuff so that my body doesn’t have to. Yet in other forms, say carbon dioxide, it’s lethal to humans, but life giving to plants. In its purest form, it has “extremely low toxicity,” yet simply grind that lump of coal and the dust will kill.

Context. Composition. Application. Approach. Intention. As I was re-purposing these four little stabiles into one new mobile, these words kept popping into my head. How the definition of a thing – the very thing itself – changes based on the fundamental questions: who, how, what, where, why, and when.

When thinking about carbon, those changes in definition could be the difference between life and death. Made me think of how often I can lock a moment, or a person, or an experience in time – and leave it there. Inert. What it is. Defined.

Rethinking how these parts and pieces could come together in new ways invited a different way of seeing, an acceptance that other configurations were possible. Allowed me to re-member how important context and intention are as I think about how I come to the world, and what I see when I ask and re-ask those essential questions, especially in situation that – on the surface – seem like I’ve experienced them again and again.

In this instance, sure, it allowed me to transform a stabile into a mobile; not getting hung up on one way of seeing possibility, one definition of what is. But more so, it made grateful to you for sharing your unique perspectives – art forms, words, fashion, viewpoints, ideas, and more. All these parts and pieces helping to expand our worlds, creating this ever-shifting and much greater whole. Thank you.