This is a found stone that is completely round – at least to the human eye. It was given to me by a friend of the family, architect Neoptolemos Michaelides. I was very lucky to have met him when I was growing up. He was like a mentor, because I had nobody creative in my immediate family and was always searching for any influence I could get.
He studied in Italy under Gio Ponti, but unfortunately had to interrupt his studies due to World War II and never went back. His work is very much inspired by the local architecture, but he’s a true modernist. Both he and his wife, who was a painter, were important figures during my teenage years.
It was on an excursion in search of fossils near Lympia, between Nicosia and Larnaca, that we found this stone. We walked for hours, up and down, but it was a very disappointing day – we didn’t find anything. As we were heading back to his car, Neoptolemos bent down, picked up this stone and passed it to me. He said, ‘See? You can’t beat nature.’
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It was a perfectly formed stone, made by nature. I’ve kept it since and always carry it with me, wherever I move. It was one of the very few personal things that I brought over with me when I came to the UK to study in 1988.
I’m fascinated by the idea that a perfect shape exists naturally. I use found stones extensively in my exhibitions. The first was this one. Currently it’s with me at home, but when I decide to display it, it ends up travelling. When it’s been too long out of my possession, though, I always long to have it back. michaelanastassiades.com
