As Long as the Sun Lasts (commissioned for The Met's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, 2021)
For his installations and sculptures, Alex Da Corte appropriates and reimagines cultural icons to "insist on new ways of looking at familiar things." In As Long as the Sun Lasts, Da Corte "borrows" Big Bird—the curious, benevolent Muppet of Sesame Street—and the modern aesthetic of Alexander Calder’s standing mobiles.
The roof sculpture has affinities with Calder’s work, but by fashioning it in the modular language of Little Tikes outdoor activity sets—that require no tools and can be easily reconfigured—Da Corte emphasizes modern inventiveness. Near the top of the form, against the vast sky, Big Bird perches on a crescent moon with a ladder in hand, suggesting the possibility of passage back to earth or to other galaxies. Appearing introspective, the Muppet’s melancholy disposition is amplified by Da Corte’s decision to render the character in blue. This choice of color gestures to Da Corte’s personal associations with Big Bird: growing up partially in Venezuela, he watched the Brazilian version of Sesame Street in which Big Bird’s counterpart, Garibaldo, was blue.
Da Corte dedicated the work to his father who emigrated to the United States in 1969, and hence the work is inscribed "69" on its base. It was also the year man landed on the moon, and the first time Sesame Street aired on PBS.
Developed during the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, As Long as the Sun Lasts calls for a moment to pause, to reflect, to be "blue," but ultimately it is a statement of belief in the potential of transformation. The need to make an imaginative leap is underscored by the title for the commission, which was inspired by a whimsical short story by the Italian author Italo Calvino. Rotating gently in the wind, Da Corte’s sculpture reminds us that stability is an illusion and that moving forward occurs in fits and starts.
The roof sculpture has affinities with Calder’s work, but by fashioning it in the modular language of Little Tikes outdoor activity sets—that require no tools and can be easily reconfigured—Da Corte emphasizes modern inventiveness. Near the top of the form, against the vast sky, Big Bird perches on a crescent moon with a ladder in hand, suggesting the possibility of passage back to earth or to other galaxies. Appearing introspective, the Muppet’s melancholy disposition is amplified by Da Corte’s decision to render the character in blue. This choice of color gestures to Da Corte’s personal associations with Big Bird: growing up partially in Venezuela, he watched the Brazilian version of Sesame Street in which Big Bird’s counterpart, Garibaldo, was blue.
Da Corte dedicated the work to his father who emigrated to the United States in 1969, and hence the work is inscribed "69" on its base. It was also the year man landed on the moon, and the first time Sesame Street aired on PBS.
Developed during the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, As Long as the Sun Lasts calls for a moment to pause, to reflect, to be "blue," but ultimately it is a statement of belief in the potential of transformation. The need to make an imaginative leap is underscored by the title for the commission, which was inspired by a whimsical short story by the Italian author Italo Calvino. Rotating gently in the wind, Da Corte’s sculpture reminds us that stability is an illusion and that moving forward occurs in fits and starts.
Artwork Details
- Title: As Long as the Sun Lasts (commissioned for The Met's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, 2021)
- Artist: Alex Da Corte (American, born Camden, New Jersey 1980)
- Date: 2021
- Medium: Aluminum, fiber reinforced plastic, PA12 nylon, stainless Steel, powder coating, cementitious grout, bronze, polyurethane paint
- Dimensions: 26 ft. 9 in. × 23 ft. 6 in. × 9 ft. 4 3/4 in. (815.3 × 716.3 × 286.4 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Purchase, Bequest of Florene M. Schoenborn, by exchange, 2023
- Object Number: 2022.512a–m
- Rights and Reproduction: © Alex Da Corte
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Alex Da Corte
2021
Robert Gober
1994–2001
Fred Wilson
2006
Alma Thomas
1972
Henry Taylor
2017
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.