the objects of our affection:
dennis rovere
1 Dennis Rovere What are these objects that attract, entice and compel us to gather, collect, and in some instances hoard? I have always loved architecture books – architects, theory, history, drawing, speculative and unbuilt design, contemporary Italian architects, Tadao Ando and Tom Kundig. I buy books (haven’t borrowed a book from a library in over 35 years) and have a rather large collection of several thousand – according to my wife several thousand too many. She tolerates my collection because she knows that though I love my books, I love her more – and my books, I am sure, know this too.
Books are in bookcases in my library and studio in the basement. They are in multiple languages (English, Italian, Chinese); some are loosely organised by theme, for example, writings by Umberto eco, but right below him are Tadao Ando, Italian and contemporary Chinese female architects next to the three-volume set of Magnus Robot Fighter . Over the years, I have remained faithful to most of them, particularly my art, architecture and children’s books – primarily because of the illustrations. Fickleness or various and diverse writing or design projects cause my affection for certain volumes to change. Sure, I still love them all, but competition for my affection is fierce. As a result, I rearrange my shelves two or three times a year as certain texts emerge or fade in relevance.
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