Flying Saucers 1969

Curator: At first glance, this print evokes the sensation of looking up at floating stones against a stark sky, creating an almost meditative impression. What do you make of Alexander Calder’s "Flying Saucers," dating from 1969? Editor: Well, meditative is one word! I see this high-contrast print as speaking more to the rising cultural interest in UFOs at the time. The late '60s was prime time for flying saucer fascination, right? Curator: That's an intriguing point – certainly cultural anxieties around technology and space travel would have been a hot topic then. The boldness of the black shapes set against the bright field definitely reads as contemporary Pop, lending it that otherworldly quality. But the scale and arrangement invite a deeper consideration, no? It’s serial art after all. Editor: Absolutely, Pop Art definitely sought inspiration in everyday objects and contemporary events; in doing so it reflected and questioned its historical context. You're spot on; the sequential repetition pulls the eye and plays with depth. I'm seeing an interesting mix of Op art and representational references to contemporary space exploration. Curator: Exactly! It's almost a flattened perspective, challenging our sense of dimension while hinting at movement. Thinking of Calder's mobiles, it feels like capturing one element of them in static form, those floating moments hanging in balance. Editor: Thinking of mobiles... maybe the saucers are floating. Suspended within shifting power dynamics between science, culture and ideology! A bit heady for such a simple, beautiful print? Curator: Maybe, but isn’t art meant to prompt thought, to invite diverse perspectives? I rather think Alexander Calder might appreciate this particular journey, wherever it lands us. Editor: Fair enough. From the studio to society and beyond, I will say these so-called flying saucers invite us all to explore new worlds, inwardly and outwardly!