Bird in Space

Liz Larner, Bird in Space, 1989, nylon cord, silk thread, stainless steel, approx. 12 x 28 3⁄4 x 19 ft., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Susan and Leonard Nimoy and museum purchase in part through the Gene Davis Memorial Fund, 2002.46, © 1989, Liz Larner

Artwork Details

Title
Bird in Space
Artist
Date
1989
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
approx. 12 x 28 3⁄4 x 19 ft.
Copyright
© 1989, Liz Larner
Credit Line
Gift of Susan and Leonard Nimoy and museum purchase in part through the Gene Davis Memorial Fund
Mediums Description
nylon cord, silk thread, stainless steel
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
2002.46
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2002.46

Artwork Description

Larner wove two curving planes of fibers that define the space around them in different ways, depending on where the viewer stands. Her work makes us reconsider what sculpture is. There is no weight, no solid mass, and no pedestal. The title refers to an abstract work by Constantin Brancusi from the 1920s, a sleek metal shape that seems to rise from its marble base, breaking free of old notions of sculpture.

Larner's installation finishes what Brancusi started. Instead of a self-contained object, we see a shifting form that appears to be taking off and dissipating in the air. The nylon and silk threads are like lines drawn through space, as though an idea jotted down in a sketchbook had materialized, however briefly, in the gallery.

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006

Works by this artist (3 items)

Roger Brown, World's Tallest Disaster, 1972, oil and magma on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1974.91
World’s Tallest Disaster
Artist
Date1972
oil and magma on canvas
On view
Roger Brown, Natural Bridge, 1971, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the S. W. and B. M. Koffler Foundation, 1979.53.5
Natural Bridge
Artist
Date1971
oil on canvas
Not on view
Image Not Available
Talk Show Addicts, from the portfolio A.G.B. 1 + 10
Artist
Date1993
etching and aquatint on paper
Not on view

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      Three decades after creating Bird in Space, Liz Larner discusses her 1989 work—a sculpture made from nylon, silk, and steel—in reference to Constantin Brâncuși's sculpture of the same name from the 1920s. Finishing what Brâncuși started, Larner's sculpture is an ethereal work whose lines seem to float in space.

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