Elemental Sculpture (1953/ca. 1955)

Rauschenberg created a series of constructions made from spikes, steel, stones, twine, wood, and other found materials from the neighborhood surrounding his Fulton Street studio in New York. Rauschenberg often allowed for viewer participation by including movable parts. In Music Box (ca. 1955), for example, he placed loose stones inside a box lined with nails; this produced sound when moved.