................................vol. 002, fall 2020
................................vol. 002, fall 2020
Hanging in the Balance, Precious Objects Fly, 2021
Hannah Yost
University of California, Berkeley
The self-perpetuating mobile Precious Objects fly, Reflections tolerate time, Offering thy mine reflects my interest in physics, as well as my craving for camaraderie. The movement of the mobile is a reflection of my own perpetually itinerant state between different communities. Simultaneously, the spinning motion of the mobile, an object usually associated with babies, is intended to soothe and sedate the viewer. With careful attention paid to the laws of physics, I built the mobile from the bottom up and measured the weight distribution to ensure that the object slowly spins. I used derma gel and ultra-cal to cast my own hands replicating various hand symbols of Buddhist and Christian spiritual significance. The blue polish of the casts’ fingernails offers a pop of color to contrast the matte surface of the grey skin, chosen to match the sheet metal and steel, creating both a sense of unity and a meditative quality in the piece.


