Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/666022
Outta Sight the cosmos comes into artful view with the latest must-have home/yard accessory. By Krista DeJulio The recent reboots of Star Wars and The X-Files—as well as the recent discovery of an apparent ninth planet—have folks looking to the sky, and as the fascination with the unknown has grown, so too has the popularity of Telescopes of Vermont, who are offering New Englanders a closer, and more artful, view of the universe. The Norwich, Vermont–based company has released the Porter Garden Telescope ($125,000), reviving a model originally designed by American artist and engineer Russell W. Porter in 1923. The distinct design, con- ceived when Porter was a profes- sor at MIT, is one part telescope, one part sundial, and one part bronze fine-art sculpture. In repris- ing the original model, which was eventually placed on view at the Smithsonian, Telescopes of Vermont preserves the piece's Art Nouveau design, rightfully believ- ing it to be "bizarre and beautiful," while updating the optics and mechanisms to create a modern, high-power telescope to see deeply and clearly into the night sky. "It's under the radar, and it's a piece of functional art," says company president and Union Park resident Russ Schleipman, a professional photographer, about the diverse appeal of the heirloom offering, which is limited to 200 pieces. "It is a unique marriage of art and science." 617-292-5155; gardentelescopes.com . PhotograPhy by russ schleiPman (telescoPe); Vadim georgieV (background); Photo illustration by Jeff sPitery bostoncommon-magazine.com 111 Three-in-one: The bronze-cast Porter Garden Telescope is a functional sundial and a masterpiece of Art Nouveau design. When the superb optics are placed into the sculpture, the piece also becomes a high-power telescope. space real estate & Design