Altars and Icons: Sacred Spaces in Everyday Life - Hardcover

4.08

25 ratings by Goodreads

9780811818162: Altars and Icons: Sacred Spaces in Everyday Life

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811818160 ISBN 13: 9780811818162

Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc, 1998

Don't we all crave a refuge from daily life, a haven of tranquility, regardless of our creed? Altars and Icons draws together 40 eclectic personal shrines in the first photographic celebration of its kind. Here are altars -- formal and casual, secular and religious, heartfelt and whimsical -- created to evoke contemplation, inspire creativity, amuse, encourage, or honor the memory of a loved one. Amalia and Carlos Vasquez celebrate the Day of the Dead in a bright-hued altar of roses. Harrod Blank makes his car an emotional sounding board, adding a new element (bottle cap, figurine, birthday cake) each time he feels the urge to express himself. Eleanor Coppola offers a sunny spot for family memories, while in other homes a kitchen table commemorates Kwanza and a living room altar showers praise on a beloved cow. Including interviews with the people who fashion these remarkable shrines, as well as plenty of how-to tips, Altars and Icons is inspiration for creating your own sacred place.

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Review:

Since ancient times, humans have revered certain objects as reminders of the spiritual and have honored them in shrines and altars. Author and photographer Jean McMann explores this tendency in all its complex modern forms, both religious and secular, in this tribute to altar making. Each artist--for that is what they are--tells the story of how a bookshelf, a mantel, a garden, or even a car became a repository of memory, inspiration, luck, and prayer. From Andrew Romanoff's memorabilia of ancestors who ruled Russia to Violet Ruth Super's shrine to Elvis, a moving purity of feeling underlies each pebble and postcard.

From the Back Cover:

Bringing together over forty eclectic personal shrines, Altars and Icons offers a diverse and vibrant vision of sanctuary. Amalia and Carlos Vasquez celebrate the Day of the Dead in a bright-hued altar of roses and marigolds. Harrod Blank turns his car into a retreat on wheels, adding a new element--a bottle cap, a tiny figurine, a birthday cake--whenever he feels the urge. Both formal and casual, secular and religious, heartfelt and whimsical, here are altars created to evoke contemplation, inspire creativity, honor memory, amuse, encourage or rejuvenate. Including interviews with the people who fashioned these remarkable shrines, Altars and Icons is luminous inspiration for creating your own sacred place at home, at the office, or wherever you need it most.

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