Objects, like people, have lives of their own and tales to tell. Things you acquired because they speak to you start to talk to each other when grouped into a display. Play around, have fun, and listen! Here are some stories on view in my home studio.
As a graphic designer, I love typefaces, so I’m naturally attracted to unusual examples. (What kind of a game would be called Flinch? I’m still afraid to open the box. But the type is gorgeous.) The Venus Unique pencils, with their beautiful labels, came from a cavernous stationer’s in Providence, Rhode Island, where unsold items from the 1940s lurked on dusty shelves. It was all very mysterious, a great place to escape on a rainy afternoon. At the rear of the cabinet is a set of perfectly made-to-scale toy Chinese weapons, dangerous-looking but adorably harmless at the same time. The collection’s rhythmic arrangement and the elegant shapes of the weapons are very pleasing to the eye.
On the shelf below, a kind of natural-history theme is happening. In first grade, I collected and mounted butterflies for a science fair project, and this in turn got my father interested in the hobby. As things have a way of coming full circle, I eventually inherited his professionally mounted specimens, shown here. Nothing remains of my original collection, but somewhere in my house is the medal I won at the science fair. As soon as I find it, it will join the display. —Angela Riechers, Art Director
How can you resist peeking into the "Flinch" box ? Are you afraid something will pop out? Enlist the super or the boy next door - I am dying to find out the rules of the game. Also I am intrigued by the relative size of the domino - it looks huge - good for me as my eyesight is , well, shall we say- creating new challenges in my game playing strategy. Just when I got up to speed at mah jonng ( I didn't say I had learned to spell the dang thing) all the tiles are starting to look the same to me.I make sure that my credit line is limited when I go out to Flushing and bet "real money" during CNY all nighters. Oh well, I am drifting. I love your post - keep us updated on the Science fair medal status.
Posted by: Paisley Shaler | January 21, 2007 at 03:00 PM
these shelves look so nice! my own shelves always look like a wreck. it doesn't help that i have a toddler who's always rearranging them.
Posted by: carrie jean | January 04, 2007 at 10:35 PM