Ted Rettig’s “model of a model” series originated from his study of Asian ceramic and porcelain bowls venerated for their metaphysical content and expression. In this piece, Rettig playfully fashions a base from stacked steel patio side tables, a respectful homage to Constantin Brancusi’s classic modernist “Endless Column.”

Rettig infuses the ideals of high modernism–often projected on presumed eternal states of materials like polished bronze–into casual, humble, fragile household materials with suggestions of improvisation and possible collapse.