Ozymandias’s remnants Collection
“Nothing beside remains.” – Percy Bysshe Shelley
Inspired by deep cutting words and contrasting images of “Ozymadias”, Percy Bysshe Shelley’s multilayered and thought provoking, masterfully delivered view on power against the sands of time we drew parallels both in material and intellectual facets of the work done.
In this iteration of Crowns & Roses, our opening theme regarding aspects of power on a medieval background, while staying on the relevant object of a chess set we created “Ozymandias’s Remnants”
An ensemble of distinct characters on a make-believe theatre of war, each differently experiencing power, the way one asserts it and the way one receives it, acted out on an imaginary battlefield time and time again.
And amidst this circular neverending feud a question arises: What remains?
Who here is, or better yet, remains in power? Each individual piece has some level of power but only contingently and in correlation with other pieces on the board. Each of the players above board holds ,at times, a certain degree of power compared to the other…only to lose it ,sooner rather than later, in a rematch.
“…Nothing beside remains…”.
Echoing Shelley’s poem, here too, when thinking about power, nothing seems to last except, maybe, the pursuit of power itself. Pieces stand or fall, players come and go, but the game is always on.
That’s the intellectual framework from which we set out to create this piece.
Starting with a grounding, natural feel from the walnut base up to the flat, desolate top of the chessboard with its encased swirling graphite-carmine and offwhite-gold hues, adding last of all pieces seemingly unfinished with contrasting levels of detail, sculpted portraits degrading abruptly into rock-like surfaces to mimic the poem’s remnants.A wax sealed certificate of Authenticity accompanies each package.
This work was done by hand, passion for the craft, love and thought put into it, it carries now, we believe, a part of this workshop’s heart.
Be part of this journey