John Beckmann, a Manhattan-based architect who floated a 2021 proposal for a COVID-19 memorial that featured installing 12 towers of light throughout Hart Island to be illuminated at a designated time of year, said it’s “unfortunate” the bill is languishing.
“It’s taken a lot of time for people to recover psychologically from what we’ve all been through, so it doesn’t surprise me that it’s taking people time to unwind,” he said. “But now is as good a time as any.”
Altared States by Axis Mundi for ABC Stone
The fireplace once held court as a life-giving force, a protector, and a stage for life’s rituals—nature’s original sculptor. Within this new mantel collection entitled Altared States, John Beckmann, Founder and Principal Designer of Axis Mundi, resurrects this powerful symbol. Together with the ABC Stone team, the designer reveals a collection that speaks to both the primal and the polished—a line of mantels designed to bridge the hearth’s ancient gravitas with a sleek, modern edge. Through this lens, each architecturally-forward piece becomes a frame, elevating fire to an art form while imparting a gentle reminder of both its beauty and its menace. “Fire’s like a movie star,” says Beckmann, “everyone thinks they own it, but it does whatever it wants—you’ll never get rid of that little threat.”
