We are smitten with Enzo Mari‘s fireplace because it rolls all sorts of things we love into one: a fireplace, slabs of concrete or stone, shelves and ledges to display still lives —perhaps one of the nicest uses of a mantle. Our own yellow mantle, sans fireplace, acts as a repository of things we love: a Buddha’s hand, a friends art works, a propped open copy of Tantra Song, things we found while wandering — a morel from the West Virginia woods, the flower end of a persimmon, seed pods….
It’s been getting pretty full lately. Our friend Holton Rower suggested placing a smaller mantle inside it, where a fireplace would be (and where we have hunk of tree downed during Hurricane Sandy). Hmmm. It would provide another surface for all the stuff we love to look at and might look pretty cool.
…Could work, if we found the right mantle….
…
…And if we really wanted to push it, a tiny mantle could go within it, for layers of ledges (and mantles) , inspired by Mari.
Top image via Aqquindex
Mantelpieces are like miniature museums of ourselves aren’t they? Of all the things here however I would love to see inside the Hans Arp book 🙂 What an inspiration he is.
The Arp book is one of my treasures. The images inside are black and white photographs of his extraordinary sculptures. You’ve inspired me to dig it out of the archive.