The art of Alexander Calder and the music of John Cage are combined in a hallucinatory avant-garde film that is the ultimate relaxation aid.
Shot in 1950 by New World Film Productions for New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the short film Works of Calder – filmed and directed by Herbert Matter, produced and (briefly) narrated by actor Burgess Meredith – features the amazing mobile works of Alexander Calder, here presented as surreal, floating images that feel like images from dreams, taking the viewer on a weirdly hypnotic and hallucinatory trip that is perfectly matched by the music of John Cage – a pre-industrial avant-garde soundscape that is itself almost designed to take you into another world. The film also takes us into the world of Calder himself, as a small boy watches him in his worship, and makes an interesting and valid comparison between Calder’s sculptures and the natural world. It’s a gorgeous piece of 16mm filmmaking – and perfect as a relaxation aid.
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