Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line (Best of Thirty-Six Attempts) captures twelve attempts to produce a fleeting moment: three balls suspended in the air, briefly forming a straight line. They rise, fall and drift apart. What seems like a simple action proves remarkably difficult to control.
Baldessari sets the action in motion, but cannot control what follows. Wind, gravity, timing and speed all intervene, making each attempt different. He determines the intention, but the conditions around him determine the outcome.
Seen together, the twelve images create a rhythm of expectation and deviation. The straight line remains an idea; the world keeps moving. It is this tension that gives the work its force: a simple attempt to impose order becomes an image of how little we ultimately control of what happens around us.