Inspiration: Shadowbox Coffee Table
The reliably wonderful thing about inspiration is that it is unpredictable. On an uptown bus, while taking out the trash, while coming home from a long day — inspiration sneaks itself into my frame of vision, uninvited, but welcome none the less. The table below caught my eye in Housing Works flickr photo stream and inspires me: a coffee table with a fantastic custom shadow box and many treasures inside. Look at all the treasures someone collected! I’m fascinated by the urge to collect, which I think stems both from a desire to create order out of chaos and a desire to communicate or articulate identity through objects (?). I wonder why the table has wheels and if the owner was Russian (I see Russian characters on a box). I see shells which make me think of a trip to a beautiful place (or maybe they lived on the beach). There are thimbles and needles but also a number of knives? Birds and pocketwatches. Stamps and marbles. Who was this person! Oh the stories I wish I knew.
Have a happy Monday full of inspiration and a few treasures.
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November 19th, 2007 13:21
Whoa. This is brilliant. I have no idea how I happened upon your blog (I think I was searching for a Walker Evans photograph…?), but I’m certainly glad I did. This table takes my breath away. And it’s really so perfect because I am about to have an exhibit of my paintings, and the title of this recent body of work is “The History of Objects.” but look at these objects–such a beautiful collection. I love it when similar, thoughts, ideas, worlds collide like this. Many thanks for the inspiration.
Mind if I blog about this with a link to your post?
Cheers from Mississippi,
Amy
November 20th, 2007 09:01
I love it!!! And I have so much little crap (um, I mean, treasures), it would be perfect…
November 25th, 2007 17:58
I love it too - you could pore for hours with your nose on the glass… I had a little wooden ‘tray’ when i was a kid with all these compartments and I’d put all my treasures there. It creates a story and a meaning somehow when you put them together like that, each in its own space. Thanks for sharing and sorry I didn’t comment on this when I read it - just realised today I never did - oops!
January 8th, 2008 17:26
i found your blog today. lots of pretty things!