This
piece was featured in Metalsmith magazine's 2007
Exhibition in Print and will be part of Framing
· The Art of Jewelry at SOFA in Chicago, 2007
and at The Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Oregon,
2008.
"How
peaceful life would be without love, Adzo, how safe, how tranquil...
how dull." - from the movie, The Name of the Rose,
based on the novel by Umberto Eco (Though the line is not
in the book, it is very much worth quoting.)
One
of my most favorite novels is The Name of the Rose,
and its theme of the censorship of art and knowledge in the
name of rigid religion inspired me to create this tiny library.
The gothic arch is one of my beloved and frequently incorporated
shapes, but also for this piece it seemed appropriate to use
it to symbolize the sacredness of knowledge and the devotion
we give it. This shape and the semi transparent doors represent
the history of suppression and simultaneous preservation of
art and writing by the Catholic church.
My
entire life thus far feels as though it has been the continuous
gathering and integration of experience and knowledge for the sake
of creation. (This includes my slightly compulsive gathering of
books!) On the book spines, I chased the names of some of the authors,
artists, explorers, musicians, and books that have most influenced
my work. Had I created this piece more recently, there would be
a few other names, but even those might be traced to ones already
there.
I
created the inset repoussé
facade of book spines from one sheet of silver and soldered
the thick wires that are the 'shelves' afterwards to create
a greater sense of depth. While most antique bookcases would
have solid backs, the ones in my studio are open, so I chose
to complete the tromp l'oeil effect this way via chasing
and engraving. The positioning of the books also reflects
my somewhat hurried and pack rat like shelving habits. The
piece is designed so that it can be worn as a pin/pendant
as well.
On
some of the book spines:
The
Name of the Rose
(Ayn)
Rand
Tutankhamun
(for Howard Carter and the artwork he discovered that inspired
me to become a metalsmith)
(Katherine)
Myers
(Isabella)
Briggs
Da
Vinci
Van
Gogh
(Joseph)
Campbell
The
Tempest (although my favorite play by Shakespeare is Hamlet,
this one seemed appropriate at the time)
.jpg)
