It's alive! A mobile Installation in the sky

This, by far, is one of the most unique elements in the room. Before I had planned anything else, it was this large installation that I needed to get right. Hanging from an 17 foot sloping-ceiling, a 4' x 6' mobile made of aluminum and copper plates (copper is one of the main elements in the room and the house), designed to take the form of an Archeopteryx (Extinct primitive toothed bird of the Jurassic period having a long feathered tail and hollow bones; usually considered the most primitive of all bird), moves elegantly over the bedroom as the central fan blows a subtle flow of air.

Another feature of this installation we had to get right was the shadows. If you've ever visited the National Gallery in Washington D.C., the East Wing carries an enormous Alexander Calder exhibit. From there, i witnessed some of the most remarkable sculptures and many of Calder's works that included over 10 different mobiles, stabiles and animobiles. Anyway, the gallery did some amazing light-work on the mobiles to display the shadows and it made such an impression on me, that I wanted to do something like that in this room. Notice that i included the shadows from the steel bamboo into it as well. The spotlight definitely gives the illusion that there are now two mobiles, or one giant mobile!

The installation itself took several hours, as finding the exact point on the ceiling to hang it from was challenging (we had to rent an 20 foot ladder). At last, it was accomplished, and we now have this mystifying bird claim its space on top of the hills.