American Furniture Journal: Reimagining and Redemption
by Jonathan Prown and Beth Lipman
Throughout Secretary with Chipmunk, anatomy is narrated through literal bodily representations, the creation of symbolic interior spaces, and the inclusion of sculpted cultural artifacts (fig. 11). The collision of the corporeal with anthropocentric objects suggests a porosity between the boundaries that separate us from not us; objects become embodied, and the human body becomes objectified. Through this slippage, meaning and knowledge are shown as constantly evolving processes, stemming from the narrative power of objects and our relationship to the body, changing throughout different epochs and contexts. In the true spirit of the rococo, Secretary with Chipmunk deeply references the grotto, which brings with it visual and thematic references to the female body and inclusion of rocaille motifs: representations of rocks, scrolls, falling water, and shells.[8]