Ray Charles
Moving Wire, 1988
Ray Charles (1953)
Moving Wire, 1988
Motor, metal wire
Variable dimensions
This early work by Charles Ray is an ideal example of his take on minimalist and conceptual sculpture. A simple motor causes wires protruding from the center of a wall to move. The modest scale and fragility of the object belies its spatial impact as it marks out a mutable division of space that expands to include wall and architecture. Ray was first known for pieces in which his body became a temporary sculpture supported against walls by planks, among other actions. Moving Wire continues this playful dissolution of object, body, and space.