The Secret Stunt Doubles of the Art World
To prepare an exhibition of Alexander Calder’s large-scale sculptures, MoMA created a set of elaborate stand-ins.
The full-scale maquette of Alexander Calder’s 1959 sculpture “Black Widow” is moved into place.
When film and TV crews need to set up cameras, or adjust lighting and sound equipment, actors’ stand-ins — people of a similar size and shape — are often called in to patiently take their place. And when a script calls for a character to do something dangerous, the star usually steps aside while a stunt double takes the punch.
At museums, maquettes are both stand-ins and stunt doubles. In exhibition planning, original artworks sit safely in packing crates, or hang elsewhere, while models of them are moved hither and yon with relatively little care so curators and designers can determine their layout in a gallery.