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End of an Era

June 26th, 2009 in The Gallery     
Red_F Red_F, member
thumbs up 74 users recommend
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Project made from MDF


Design or Plan used: My own design - Blaine Johnston
posted in: The Gallery, bookcase
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Comments (13)

trikeguy writes: The name says it all. Love the 1980s styling with what seems to be a fading piece of furniture as well as making a statement. I love this sort of "outside of the box" thinking. It gets my vote in the creative response category. I understand that the FWW crew may cry foul but you made us all react and understand that bookcases are shortly destined to be museum pieces. Congratulations! Well done. Posted: 10:41 pm on October 17th
cocopuffed writes: red_f et al... my traditionalist leanings are showing. my fav was the art nouveau -- holds much more in a smaller spce -- and is detailed with forms that i find very attractive. so it isn't 'pure' art, but i don't have the space for such a large footprint. and yes, it made me smile -- wish i were as talented. red_f -- my naming ideas are the first things that came to mind when i saw it; you certainly accomplished what you had in mind. congratulations, and keep on keepin' on. -- rich m. (coco's my dog) Posted: 10:40 am on August 5th
rkopman writes: Revision of my earlier comment:

I used the term " a bit better craftsmanship". What I should have said is "a bit more complicated craftsmanship". Posted: 7:59 pm on July 31st
rkopman writes: Some tough competition here! The contest is labeled Creative Bookcases, so creativity is what I used for criteria. While there is a bit better craftsmanship in some to the other entries, End of an Era is definitely the most creative in my estimation. You have my vote.

By the way, I also agree with the "statement" your case is making. Consider all these young kids carrying around 30 pounds of books to school each day. That will all be replaced with a Kindle or similar book-reader in the next 10 years. Posted: 7:57 pm on July 31st
Red_F writes: JBushman, thanks for the comments. As far as the balance of it goes, when all of the books are removed it is easily tipped. That is why the old encyclopedias are on the bottom shelf. Posted: 4:32 pm on July 31st
JBushman writes: I like the idea of setting it up with a bunch of "rejected" pulp fiction on the floor. An amusing statement.

I am curious to know how the thing keeps from tipping over if all of the books are removed. Did you weight it somehow, or affix it to the floor/wall? Posted: 10:07 am on July 31st
gbear1 writes: Very clever...a piece most of us would enjoy having...it just makes one smile. Posted: 6:15 pm on July 30th
MKenney writes: cocopuffed,

I'm not sure what you mean by "pure art," but I suspect that you have in mind that furniture must be functional and that this bookcase isn't functional. Perhaps you are even thinking that furniture should only be functional (that is, it can't make philosophic, political, or any other type of statement).

Philosophically, I think you're wrong on both points. But let me point out that this bookshelf is actually holding books, and could easily be used as a bookshelf in a house. I could certainly see myself using this bookself in my house as a bookshelf. Not only would I get to store some books, but I would also get to express a particular position on the decline of the printed (on paper) word.

Matt K. Posted: 10:10 am on July 27th
buzzell writes: As the father of two teenaged sons, this "sculpture" evoked so many emotions, it was surprising. The lines and cast-off books create a poignancy that is striking.

As I continuously explain to the texting generation, we used to read communications that were not limited to 160 (or fewer) characters, and could actually convey complex ideas. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes their generation to return to some of the finer arts like woodworking and literature.

Then again, I saw one of their friends' most recent acquisition: a long-board (skateboard) that was made of joined mahogany, walnut, wenge and maple. Maybe there's hope, yet!

Beautiful work. Posted: 11:08 am on July 22nd
Red_F writes: I'm glad it's made you happy.

Anatole, all of the books are discontinued library books. Most are bad novels from the '80s. You should see some of the writer's photos on the books. Huge hair and big shoulder pads.

Cocopuffed, no offense taken, I was trying to make it look like it was puking when I was making it. Posted: 7:42 am on July 22nd
Anatole writes: I never thought a bookcase could make me smile! Nice work. You could also name this piece "The Critic" and dump romance novels all over the floor. Posted: 6:00 pm on July 16th
karlroth writes: great ! made me laugh Posted: 8:55 am on July 10th
rich99 writes: red...

does it have a name? may i suggest 'vomit' or 'puke' or 'upchuck'. no offense meant.

this is pure art, not serving as a book case (except in a museum).

cute. very nice. Posted: 9:15 am on July 8th
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