1

A Day
Observed

A story presented by

Scene 1:
‘Morning’

It was a bright cold day with glassy surfaces that looked hard.
Into the square frame he stood as if in a dream.

What emerged was precisely what he expected to find: a reflection of memory images. Contemplating his face in the photo frame he waited.

1960s lucite and chrome 3 image photo frame

By the steady hands of his watch, he listened to time. Every day for the past sixteen days he saw her. Silver lingered in the crease of
an open book.

Rolex burlwood dial, Jubilee bracelet Miniature
oar English university trophy, sterling silver.

So absorbed in his thoughts
he hardly saw the platinum catch-all, the key, or the revelation locked inside those lapis lazuli cufflinks tossed unmistakably in cold blue.

Hans Hanson catch-all. Mid-century, Danish sterling silver. Stirrup money clip, by Hermès. Padlock keyring, sterling silver " Tie bar-slide " Round lapis lazuli cufflinks" Square cufflinks, two tone rose and yellow gold, diamond."

Only by whirling on his heel could he hope to comprehend
the panorama.

Shoe horn, circa 1930. American sterling silver
Scene 2:
‘Noon’

He remained.Trapped in that enormous room,
unmistakably familiar in feeling yet so peculiar.

Above the mantle was
displayed an Austrian hound
of impeccable integrity.

Hagenauer sculpture, 1930

His gaze fell on the letter opener. By accident she had learnt more about his life from the contents of that letter than anywhere.

Dunhill letter opener with lighter top, circa 1950

Cleopatra’s eye reflected
the sun. Through the hypnotism
of precious metals there
emerged a dark slender shadow.

Cleopatra’s eye magnifying glass. Mid-century, gold plated
Hermès weighted pen. Silver plated.

A lighter presented itself, smooth to the touch
it gave the impression of
intelligent company.

Table lighter St Dupont, circa 1960. Gold plate
Scene 3:
‘Evening’

All this time light was receding from the room.

“I should explain why I spend so much time here”, said the silhouette. Leaves moved like shadows across her eyes.

Hermès rope bottle opener. Plated silver.

It’s not too late to turn back. Time moved with faint sounds.

Venini hourglass. Hand-blown lurid Murano glass.

He unscrewed the telescopic cup, rolled and remained still. Black eyes on the dice prophesied a new cycle.

Telescopic cup, J. E. Cauldwell. Gold plated. Dice,
Cartier for America. Vitreous enamel glass, silver

Staring down at the varnished surface her mouth worried him while her eyes examined the gold cufflink.

Audemar Piguet evening watch. gold plated, Roman dial, alligator strap
Scene 4:
‘Night’

Everything went crashing black.

Pale graceful hands placed
the gold stud box delicately
on the table.

Men’s Edwardian jewellery box, 1910. Gold plated.
Mid-century British cigar ashtray. Sterling silver and crystal.

He lit a match to make sure the watch had really stopped. Smoke lingered from its vesta case.

Realist wrapped tobacco leaf march vesta. Silver.

As the travel clock neared
one the figure vanished into dappled shadows.

Art Deco Jaeger LeCoultre travel clock.
Gold and silver plated. Retailed by Aspray.

On the newly varnished table two bronze shot cups sat alive like in a dream.

Tooth shot cup by Foundwell. Bronze and silver plated.
Set of 4, 3 silver 1 gold. Heath & Midleton champagne decanters circa 1900.
Sterling silver and glass.
The End

‘A DAY OBSERVED’
A story by FOUNDWELL
Photography Matthieu Lavanchy, creative direction OK-RM,
notes by Kate O’Brien and objects selected by Alan Bedwell

‘A DAY OBSERVED’
A story by FOUNDWELL
Photography Matthieu Lavanchy,
creative direction OK-RM
notes by Kate O’Brien
and objects selected by Alan Bedwell

Early and Rare Sterling Silver Gorham Martini Mixing Bucket

Golf Cocktail Shaker
and Matching Golf Bag Cup

Sterling Silver Woven Bottle Coaster

Foundwell

A SELECTION OF ITEMS BY THE PRODUCER OF
CRAFTED GOODS & PURVEYOR OF ANTIQUE WATCHES,
JEWELLERY & OTHER SUCH OBJECTS

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A set of six 'visible markers' by the artist Allan McCollum. This vibrant set of Polymerized pigmented concrete blocks was made in a large series of unlimited numbered editions. The project, was the artist’s first multiple, designed to be sold in this six set of colours; brick red, chocolate brown, coal black, stone grey, lemon yellow, lime green, and each bears a deep imprint of the word “Thanks”.

 

 

This edition was created for the Susan Inglett gallery in New York in 1997, exhibited from 30th October until 13th December. The copy from the original exhibition reads as follows, and gives the reason behind their creation:

 

 

"Visible Markers lend physical form to a common verbal gesture. The act of giving “Thanks” encourages our consideration of the behavior itself with attendant sentiments and motivations. The material quality of the concrete and the shape of the marker suggests diverse readings. The concrete evokes both monument and mausoleum while the shape is at once ingot and brick. The subtle shift in our understanding of Visible Markers parallels the subtle shift in usage and understanding of the word “Thanks”, heartfelt sentiment or acknowledgement of obligation.

 

 

With this project, perhaps more than with any other, the artist explores his notion of the art object as something that obtains it’s significance through the process of its exchange, rather than merely through its making and its presentation. He hopes that people will appreciate this project as both an object and an action."

 

 

McCollum was born in California in 1944, moving to New York in 1975 where he still lives and works. His work has been exhibited in galleries all over the world having had more than one hundred and thirty solo exhibitions, along with a number of retrospectives at museums such as Museé d'Art Modern, in Lille, the Serpentine, in London, the Sprengel, in Hannover. He participated in the Aperto at the Venice Biennale in 1988 and 2012.His works have been exhibited at the White House, andare held in over ninety art museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, and The Whitney in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, LA, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

 

 

In his own words from a recent interview; "Since the very start of my career, I’ve explored these distinctions, I’ve mixed them up, and while I’m not the only artist to be doing this, I’ve always systematically worked in enormous quantities! I don’t make fifty but ten thousand pieces, and each one is unique.

 

 

I’ve chosen quantity to mix up ways in which people look at different types of work, and this is how the Surrogate Paintings started in 1978, or the Plaster Surrogates, starting from 1982.

 

 

I made thirty thousand small plaster objects, each of which is completely unique, whereas the artist, according to certain implicit rules, is not allowed to make thousands of things, or else they’re no longer called artworks, but industrial fabrications. How about things that cost nothing, but that hold value and meaning?

 

 

I’ve always been haunted by the way this has been taught at school, where we also distinguish pupils on the basis of their school results or social levels.

 

 

The idea of quantity was therefore based on a desire to create confusion and to question the categories that we’re accustomed to living with."

 

 

The set is all individually, consecutively numbered from 1147-1152, and each is hand signed by the artist and dated to 1997, when they were originally launched at the Inglett gallery. Condition is excellent on each, the original packaging is not present. They can be displayed in any number of ways and have a unique and thought-provoking message in their  simplicity.

 

 

 


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Item Dimensions
Height
8 inches (20.32cm)
Width
2.5 inches (6.35cm)