 | Stillness and Light: The Silent Eloquence of Shaker Architecture Shaker buildings have long been admired for their simplicity of design and sturdy craftsmanship, with form always following function. Over the years, their distinctive physical characteristics have invited as much study as imitation. Their clean, unadorned lines have been said to reflect core Shaker beliefs such as honesty, integrity, purity, and perfection. In this book, Henry Plummer focuses on the use of natural light in Shaker architecture, noting that Shaker builders manipulated light not only for practical reasons of illumination but also to sculpt a deliberately spiritual, visual presence within their space. Stillness and Light celebrates this subtly beautiful aspect of Shaker innovation and construction, captured in more than 100 stunning photographs. Henry Plummer is Professor of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he is also an associate of the Center for Advanced Study. He is author of Poetics of Light, Light in Japanese Architecture, and The Architecture of Natural Light. |
