“La spirale”, a work by Alexander Calder, is a true testament to the artist’s innovative mind and unwavering passion for movement. The sculpture, aptly titled “Spirale”, is a monumental standing mobile, a combination of steel and air, that dances with the wind. You are now standing before it, its presence commanding attention. It was erected in 1958, a year marked by the inauguration of the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The committee chose eleven artists to decorate the headquarters, and Calder was one of them.
The sculpture was created in Connecticut by Calder, and later installed, in Paris, with the help of Carmen Segre, a talented welder. It stands almost ten meters in height, its dimensions varying depending on the wind’s delicate touch. It is made of two tons of steel, a material chosen to reflect the strength of the ideas it embodies. It is a symbol of movement and change, representing the unyielding forces that perpetually push us forward. It is a constant reminder of the impermanence of things and the beauty that lies in this constant flux, reminding us of the need to remain adaptive, just like the sculpture itself. The wind carries with it a story, one that unravels in an ongoing dance of steel and light, a dance that never ends.