The picture on the cover of Religion in Wood reminds me of a latch in Ken Laundry's barn:
Maybe it isn't fair to compare the latch inside a prosperous house with the latch of a hardscrabble old barn. I wonder if the Shakers put as much care into their barns as they did into their houses. I like the Shaker latch, but I like the simple practicality of the barn latch, too. Both were forged by a blacksmith. They are from the same era. One was built for the purpose it still serves. The other was salvaged, cobbled together. Both are a reflection of the men who made them, men of good values.
Joe
ReplyDeleteYou might be amused by my friend Richard Wentworth's photos.
Here is a sample in an article
www.core77.com/reactor/03.07_parallel.asp
Check out the door latches among other things.
Not unlike your own photos of everyday things. Richard has collected all sorts of things and images over the years.
Richard
Fascinating. Has Wentworth been to China? In Shanghai he'd have a blast - the old and new, the improvised and the stunningly modern. As it happens, my son works for IDEO, like Fulton Suri, and spent 3 years in the Shanghai office.
ReplyDeleteYes. He went to China about 15 years ago and came back with great pictures. He now teaches at Oxford, having been a moving force behind the Goldsmith's School that produced Damien Hirst, Sam Taylor and the Brit pack of artists in the 90s. Makes interesting sculpture too.
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