As
time passes, I realize more and more just what a product of classic horror and
science fiction I really am, whether from film, pulps, comics or books. The
other day a rather remarkable ceramic object arrived here and having spent a
good amount of time studying it, surveying the form, surface and nuances I
placed it up on a shelf to "rest" until the next day. Later that
evening though I was on the computer and turned to look at the piece and I
realized that the light and shadow created a fantastical, even alien instrument
or prop. Highlighted like some early frame from a Fritz Lang film or the shadowing that brought
the eerie qualities of FRANKENSTEIN (1931) to life, the atmosphere and presence
was just captivating. The object in question is a Bizen sculpture by Kaneshige
Kosuke known as "floating or portrait" and as you can see in the
photo, rendered in black & white it appears to be something out of a 50s
sci-fi movie, possibly something organic or even an alien globe of sorts. I
have always loved these forms, possibly for all of the associated memories that
it renders or perhaps it is something much deeper, plumbing those deep recesses
of the mind where ritual, ceremony and unbridled imagination reside. In the
end, I would like to think that the true appeal of this object is that it has
found a way to touch what is simple, honest and oddly enough familiar and
Wittgenstein said it best; "The aspects of things most important for us
are hidden because of their simplicity and familiarity."
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