Giovanni Anselmo

Direction

1967–8

© Giovanni Anselmo

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Not on display
Artist
Giovanni Anselmo born 1934
Original title
Direzione
Medium
Fabric, glass and metal
Dimensions
Displayed: 243 x 4200 x 3350 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Purchased with funds provided by an anonymous donor 2009
Reference
T12953

Display caption

In the late 1960s, Anselmo began to make sculptures exploring forces such as torsion, gravity, and magnetism. His Direction series incorporate compasses that point to the magnetic north pole. This work is made by pushing a glass beaker with a needle inside it against a dampened cloth. ‘I formed a sort of trail that the energy of the magnetic fields, continuing to orient the needle, kept alive’, Anselmo said. Inside the gallery, the work serves as a reminder of the space outside it, and the invisible forces that structure the world.

Gallery label, July 2011

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