Items related to We Sit Together: Utopian Benches from the Shakers to...
Whether for protest, political or religious congress, solidarity, social companionship, eating, or comfort, sitting communally is one of the most powerful and prevalent of human social acts. This simple act of seating held special significance in numerous utopian communities that emerged in 19th century America and was given physical presence in the form of a variety of styles of wooden benches unique to these would-be arcadias. Renowned British artist Francis Cape is fascinated with these utopian benches and has reconstructed twenty-five of them following careful study and measurements. The results of Cape’s bench building project are seen in We All Sit Together, which presents colour photographs and hand-drawn measured drawings of the benches, which come from both well-known utopian sects like the Shakers, and more obscure ones like the Separatists of Zoar. Cape also provides a written description of each bench and describes how the social or religious organization of the utopian community influenced the design of the bench. To be considered both as contemporary sculpture as well as furniture, the twenty–five benches evoke the accumulated aspirations that helped to shape them, while inviting collective engagement, speculation and discourse. The result is a fascinating look at a slice of Americana that will appeal to the collector, woodworker and student of American history.
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Review:
"A beguiling, informative book." - New York Times
"Highly entertaining." - New York Observer
"Francis Cape may be the first person to physically investigate how different designs facilitated different social practices." - Forbes.com
"A fascinating book." - The Daily Beast
"An engaging tour of craft, technology, and community." - New York Times
"Furniture lovers will be intrigued, as I was, with an exquisite group of reconstructed benches appearing in We Sit Together: Utopian Benches From the Shakers to the Separatists of Zoar, by famed artist Francis Cape. I can't explain it, but staring at these spartan designs -- indeed, they are sculptures -- brought me a sense of the serenity undoubtedly embodied in the communities that inspired these works." - San Jose Mercury News
From the Author:
"Highly entertaining." - New York Observer
"Francis Cape may be the first person to physically investigate how different designs facilitated different social practices." - Forbes.com
"A fascinating book." - The Daily Beast
"An engaging tour of craft, technology, and community." - New York Times
"Furniture lovers will be intrigued, as I was, with an exquisite group of reconstructed benches appearing in We Sit Together: Utopian Benches From the Shakers to the Separatists of Zoar, by famed artist Francis Cape. I can't explain it, but staring at these spartan designs -- indeed, they are sculptures -- brought me a sense of the serenity undoubtedly embodied in the communities that inspired these works." - San Jose Mercury News
Francis Cape has presented his work internationally in solo shows and group exhibitions. For his project “The Other End of the Line”, at the High Line, New York (2010), Cape sited a vintage 1972 mobile home under the High Line on Gansevoort Plaza in which he invited Ian Berry, curator of the Tang Teaching Museum, Skidmore College, to house a group exhibition. A graduate with an MFA from Goldsmiths College, University of London (1991), Cape is the recipient of a 2001 Louis Comfort Tiffany Award and a Pollock Krasner Grant (2010), among others.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherPrinceton Architectural Press
- Publication date2013
- ISBN 10 1616891599
- ISBN 13 9781616891596
- BindingPaperback
- Edition number1
- Number of pages112
- Rating
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