 Vessel of Secrets By Thomas Parker Williams Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Thomas Parker Williams, 2015. Edition of 2. 6.25 x 7.25 x 7.5" closed, 13.5 x 20 x 2.8" fully open. Dodecahedron structure. Exterior panels of embossed copper sheet with patina. Twelve paintings in alkyd medium and dry pigments on paper structures outlined with Venetian marbled paper. Digitally printed text. Housed in painted wooden box with cradle and magnets to hold sculpture in place. Colophon sheet laid in. Signed and numbered by the artist. Thomas Parker Williams: "Vessel of Secrets was inspired by 'The Nature of Things' written c. 50 BC by the Roman philosopher and poet Lucretius. "The shape of this vessel is a dodecahedron, a twelve-sided perfect solid, which represented the universe in the ancient world. From 'The Nature of Things' I distilled twelve ideas, or secrets, I consider to represent some of the fundamental ways the universe functions. The ideas deal with the physical sciences, biology and philosophy, and are personal observations. "Each of the twelve secrets is represented by an embossed copper plate on the exterior of the structure and a paper pyramid supporting a miniature painting on the interior of each side. The rear of each pyramid structure contains the text of the secret. "The structure is held closed by small powerful magnets and can be easily opened when rotated to the proper angle. Once opened the entire structure can be flattened for display or partially flattened to show exterior and interior surfaces." |