The What If Metropolis

Sean McNamara 05/11/14

Alexander Calder
Calder was an American sculpture, artist and draughtsmen who is most well-known for being the
pioneer of the mobile. He lived from July 22, 1898 November 11, 1976.
His career began in 1926 when he started making small animated animals in wood and wire,
eventually creating enough of them to form a circus which he named Le Grand Cirque Calder.
He then joined the group Abstract-Creation in 1931 and began to make sculptures that could be
moved by hand, small motors or the wind. They were given the name mobile and his sculptures
that didnt move were called stabiles.
Calder used wire to create three dimensional drawing of people, animals and objects. These
linear sculptures introduced line into sculpture.
Some of his key influences include Hans Arp, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp and Joan Miro. He
was inspired by several movement such as Cubism, Constructivism, Futurism and Surrealism.
People think monuments have to come out of the ground, never out of the ceiling, but mobiles
too can be monumental.
Why must all art be static?
Just as one can compose colours, or forms, one can too compose motions
My whole theory about art is the disparity that exists between form, the masses and
movement

My
Definitive
Influence
Map

Travelogue
Located at the top of a mountain, my metropolis will balance at the peak of the mountain, perfectly counterbalanced so that it will
never topple. The city will stand above a 10000 foot drop, it will move freely in the wind as one giant structure to match the free
movement of one of Calders mobiles. There will be two main brackets overlapping each other in the centre of the pivoting point in
which more wires and brackets will branch out holding several other structures such as the large pods in which the inhabitants will
live and other, more unique, constructions built perfectly to all have a similar mass to help the balance of the city.
The town hall will stand above the city as one giant pod on its own bracket turning freely from the city. It will have windows the
whole way around it so that whoever is lucky enough to be invited to the town hall will not miss any of the spectacular views in
which the city offers. Only the most executive inhabitants of the city will ever be invited to the town hall as it is said to be the most
amazing view any man or woman will ever experience.
The suburbs of the city, found far below the town hall, are formed by large pods in which the people of the city live. They are
beautiful sphere structures which also hang on their own axels with a small motor so that whoever lives inside can control which way
their windows face, from the stunning view of the valley below the mountain on one side to the endless, sapphire ocean on the
other. The pods only have one entrance/exit as that is all they need due to the fact that it is impossible to have a garden in this
massive moving metropolis. A standard pod will have a living area, 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and kitchen. However it is possible to
upgrade your pod to have more bedrooms or a larger living space but this requires quite a lot of cash!
Travelling around the city can be difficult at times as the only ways to get from A to B is by either using one of the many walkways
created with intertwining wire, stretching from one pod to another or by using the railways which travel along the very wires in
which everything hangs from in the city. The railway is the best way to travel as the trains are formed using 80% glass so that you
dont miss any of the incredible views as you go on your daily travels around town. The trains can travel in any direction it pleases
(including upside down) as it clings to the city wires, so on the more alternative routes you will have to strap yourself in to your seat
so you dont get thrown around the train as it navigates through the maze of supports lines going all the way round the city.
The wealthier people in the city will live in larger pod-like structures situated just below the town hall, with a larger living space, 2
more bedrooms, and all the bedrooms being ensuite. They also have an alternative route to travelling rather than the trains or the
walkways. Part of their pods can detach and fly around the city, almost like their own personal hovercraft. There are several landing
bays situated in the city designed to house these hovercrafts so there is never an issue of where to park it!

My Initial Thumbnails

My Initial Thumbnails

My Initial Thumbnails

My Initial Thumbnails

Idea Development