Spaces of the mind

by Robert Tracy

"Using materials that ranged from stone, marble, wood and cast iron to wire, rope, burlap and space itself, Noguchi created carvings, constructions, gardens, architectural projects, playgrounds and, inevitably, theater designs. It was especially the theater of dance - the movement of bodies in relation to forms and space - that Noguchi saw as sculpture brought to life.". "This book celebrates Noguchi's contributions to dance with photographs of and commentary on 37 of his set designs, mainly for Martha Graham but also for such other choreographers as George Balanchine, Erick Hawkins, Merce Cunningham, Yuriko, Kei Takei and Ruth Page. The photographs, mainly by Arnold Eagle, Philippe Halsman, Barbara Morgan, Nan Melville and Max Waldman, capture the movement and mood of the dances and their interaction with Noguchi's settings. The commentary, from original and revival program notes, author Robert Tracy and Noguchi himself, recalls the content of each of the dances and the vision behind