Silver Compass

Carol Bove (American, born Switzerland 1971)

When I first saw this image on the MOMA website I thought it was made from water but then realized it couldn’t be because there’s no where for the water to go. When I read about the piece of art it is made from beads that are hand sewn on at 1cm intervals the idea being that because it has been hand sewn the beads are not prefect. On the MOMA website it says ‘Silver Compass is meant to be installed facing due north, prioritizing an orientation to Earth rather than to any built environment.’ I like this because it shows the artist has even thought about what she wants to happen to her piece even after she cannot see it anymore and possible no longer owns it. I picked this piece to add to my blog because I love how the light reflects off the beads and I bet that if the light shines on it right a pattern is also made on the walls around it from the reflection. It looks like the piece is weighted at the bottom but it isn’t so this must be from the way that the light is on them as the top is shaded and the bottom illuminated. The angles and lines in that image also look effective because you have the corner of the room leading off each side of the picture then the piece of art vertically hanging in the middle but you can see the top and the bottom then there is the corner of the room just behind that can be faintly seen also leading off so all these dimensions also make the artwork stand out.