This is entry #30 in our 100 Philosophers, 100 Artworks, 100 Words Series.
Philosopher: Maureen Eckert
Artwork: Maureen Eckert, Frege Coin & North Star Coin, 2000: Mixed media, brass findings, plexiglass, enamel, acrylic paint, zirconium crystals.
Words: The first Star Coin I made was lost. It was a gift to someone who’d done something extraordinary that no one else had noticed. “You can carry it,” I said, “for when you need something money cannot buy.” Inscribed on the back, from Rilke’s “Lament”:
And surely, of all the stars that perished
long ago,
one still exists.
I think I know
which one it is –
which one, at the end of its beam in the sky,
stands like a white city…
The Frege and North Star Coins still survive. They can be given, not sold, at least by me.
May 6, 2015 at 2:03 pm
Beautiful photograph, too.