Arteria

Mariano Gemmo

Arteria
book shelf
2011

6mm powder-coated steel wire
38 x 43 x 12 cm
edition of 50

With the Arteria book shelf, Mariano Gemmo pushes on the limits of reduction. The shelf only consists of a 6mm-strong, precisely bent piece of round-bar steel and two eyelets fix this meandering structure to the wall. For most such racks, it is common mounting practice to attach them to something; even Gemmo's model requires fixing it to the wall. However, Arteria differs significantly from the general configuration of this species in one point: it actually only works when fixed to a vertical area. Gemmo makes use of the generally known physical law of balance: an object slightly shifted off center and only resting on one point or one line will always tilt in one direction. If you want to prevent the object, e.g. a book from completely toppling over, you have to provide resistance at a certain point to break its fall. This is exactly what happens here with the help of something that is basically always available: the wall.

Arteria

Arteria