I love my woodburning stove. In winter it provides a dry
heat that permeates the whole house and it gives a cheery glow that raises the
spirits when the sky turns a leaden grey – but in summer? Well it just sits
there. I could hide it away with a firescreen as the Bretons of old did but –
well that doesn’t seem right somehow. So, here is an idea that friends and
neighbours have found quite charming (although it does seem to confirm their
view that there is a bit of madness in all Englishmen).
Looking at it one day I came to the conclusion that the
frame around the glass door is pretty much similar to a picture frame. Only
problem was that it contained no picture. Now I can’t paint or draw, Susan does
that, so how do I embellish my stove with a work of art. The answer lies in
places like the Tate Modern in London. A visit there recently introduced me to
the idea of ‘art installations’ – not drawings or paintings but objects placed
in a certain way in order to send some kind of message to the viewer. Now the box
of the woodburning stove with its glass window is an ideal location for an
installation. I suppose a bouquet of dried flowers could have been a
possibility but for me as a musician, I wanted to say something about the
sublime frustration of music – ‘sublime’ on the rare occasions that you play a
piece to your own satisfaction, ‘frustrating’ because a musician is always
painfully aware of his shortcomings – there is always something you struggle to
get right.
So, here is my woodburning stove art installation. A book of
music and a broken violin laid out ready for a match to be put to them! Who
knows maybe the idea will catch on.
If you have a woodburner art installation please let me
know!
David
