Vase XXX

Tim is a creative collaborator, technical consultant, and most of all, dear friend. On his journey into eternity, he recently passed the 30 year mark—an occasion, I reckoned, warranting formal recognition. Thus was born Vase XXX.

On the stylistic front, I’ve seen a lot of pieces this year from the Aesthetic Movement, a popular style of the late 19th C. They are eclectic in inspiration—eclectic, even, within the context of a single piece. But in them one finds a throughline of beauty, of respect for their viewers. Significantly, pieces in this style spare no effort with respect to geometric and sculptural detail. Their makers were among the last of the generations trained in the academic style, a training propitious to the highest form-making. I’ve also been grappling with the neoclassical style, a movement which birthed an even greater number of vases (cf. vasemania). Neoclassicism proved an appropriate point of departure as well for this commemorative piece given that Tim returned not long ago from an extended residence in Paris, patron city of the mode.

The practice of gadrooning (sweeping lobes up and down a piece, à la fluting) came to my attention, regretfully, not thanks to a practice of museum-going or close looking, but due to reading The Bonfire of the Vanities in the airport. I was immediately smitten, and pledged to incorporate gadroons at the earliest opportunity—which, at long last, came knocking here.

On the execution front, most of the vase was designed in Rhino Grasshopper’s scripting language. I chose this, rather than the perhaps more fit-for-purpose CAD programs, as I wanted complete freedom with respect to geometry, particularly the ability to fine-tune sculptural details to taste. Below is an excerpt of the script that eventually emerged.

PRIOR ART

After I sketched out some concepts for the vase, it came time to research prior art, see what could be gleaned to help add flesh to the bones. A few pieces caught my eye. Those that proved most influential are posted above. The canteen shape, it seems, has a history… 

MEDALLIONS

It was obvious that any vase in the honorary mode needed a likeness of the person being honored. Molly, Tim’s girlfriend, very kindly provided the photograph of Tim in profile (“He was very confused lol”). Jia Zhuang’s AI did the heavy lifting of converting that image into bas relief. Next came the question of what to inscribe. I initially opted for RERUM COGNOSCERE CAUSAS, Virgil’s famous line from Georgics, and designed the first version accordingly. But the very night I printed that draft, while drifting off to a book, I came across not only a medallion, but one with a legend perfectly suited to Tim’s calling as a programmer and scientist: UNUM AUTEM NECESSARIUM (only the one is necessary).

I find it hilarious and bizarre that Leibniz’ first impulse upon discovering binary notation was to draw up a medallion, complete with latin legend (not that I blame him). In any event, I’m grateful he did, as one would be hard-pressed to find a notion more poetic or profound (or a propos).

The obverse is an excerpt from a fine bas relief due to the great 19th c. Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. In it, a genius, i.e. a spirit, pours oil into a lamp so that a tired thinker might carry on and find inspiration. The inscription on the lectern, A. GENIO LUMEN, translates roughly to “from the genius comes light”. Many thanks to Scan the World for digitizing the piece.

IN CLOSING

This vase was a test of my technical abilities and my taste. I’m not convinced I made the grade on either count, but I suppose all that matters in the end is that Tim likes the piece and feels recognized. In a final step, the 3D printed result was protected with a nautical-grade epoxy, so, like it or not, this birthday tribute will be around for a long time to come.