Marble in Metamorphosis

Rachel Cusk's essay "Marble in Metamorphosis" explores the meaning of marble in different cultures, examining its enduring nature, its use as a display of political power and wealth, its vanity and corruption, and its democratization and industrialization. Chris Kontoss photography explores two landscapes marked by marble and its uses: the island of Tinos, with its centuries-old tradition of marble mining and craft, and Athens, with its ancient and enduring connection to marble. Nadine Monem is a Canadian writer of memoir and theory and a lecturer in creative writing at Central Saint Martins. Molonglo publications support a better understanding of the built environment by reaffirming the value of unconventional approaches and opening up discussions about urbanism to include a wider range of perspectives.

Format: Paperback / softback
Publication date: 31 July 2022
Publisher: Molonglo Group

Marble, a timeless material, has been used throughout history to represent political power, wealth, and vanity. In her essay "Marble in Metamorphosis," Rachel Cusk explores the significance of marble in different cultures. During a visit to a marble-bearing Greek island in the Aegean Sea, Cusk considers the enduring nature of marble, formed after a period of great pressure. Marble has been used to display political power, wealth, and vanity. Dictators built their palaces from marble, which outlasted their rule and now gradually disappears into the ground. Marble decorates modern homes as a covetable and expensive form of interior design, commercialized and democratised, mined on an industrial scale. In reflecting on the deep relationship between marble and human culture, Marble in Metamorphosis examines the social and historical function of the material throughout time, the fate of monuments through history, and the tension between classicism and realism in art and architecture. Chris Kontoss' photography explores two landscapes marked by marble and its uses: the island of Tinos, with its centuries-old tradition of marble mining and craft, and Athens, which has an ancient and enduring connection to marble evident in its ubiquitous presence throughout the city. Rachel Cusk is the author of the Outline trilogy, the memoirs A Life's Work, and the novel Transit.

ISBN-13: 9780987634429