a blog about photography, design, art, architecture, ephemera, found objects, pop culture, anonymous, outsider art, folk art, self-taught art, illustration, beauty, esoterica, auctions, discovery, art environments, mystery, vintage stuff and the magic that can be found in everyday things.
MY KIND OF AMUSEMENT PARK? CLOSED. ABANDONED. So where does an amusement park go when they go out of business? Well, a few of them have simply been fenced off and left to decay, perhaps hoping for a buyer—someone with dreams of reviving it to make, uh... millions. The now defunct Prehistoric Forest in Irish Hills, Michigan (first opened in 1963) is actually for sale—and you can buy this 8-acre sweetheart for just $584,000. Oh, there are approximately 100 fiberglass dinosaurs on the property, including an arcade, gift shop, a swimming pool in not so good shape and a... community shower (which makes me a bit uncomfortable).
NileGuide, the travel blog, showcases eight different amusement parks, all fenced off with plenty of “No Trespassing” signs around. But come on—that’s no way to see an abandoned theme park! Go ahead, be bold.
And be sure to check out the larger site RoadsideArchitecture. It is chock full of good sites!
BERNARD PRAS USES THE PRODUCTS OF MASS CONSUMERISM as the “paint” of his art. Sometimes using entire rooms the size of a basketball court, Pras recreates and builds images that at first confound and later amuse us with his vision. Pras, who is French, takes the French word collage to monumental proportions—not always in size, but in fearlessness of approach.
JOSH COOLEY IS AN ARTIST AT PIXAR STUDIOS IN CALIFORNIA. One day, he got the idea to illustrate famous and memorable movie scenes in his style. Accidental Mysteries gives Josh the big “Me Likey Award” — and you can learn more about his cool art here.
WHEN THE MEDICAL IMAGING FIRM EIZO needed a way to market their high tech x-ray imaging capabilities, they turned to the German ad firm BUTTER. Their solution: a pin-up calendar in which women bear all. Literally, everything! As the promotion concept put it, “Very popular among craftsmen but quite new for medics: Pin-up calendars! At last, one which shows absolutely every detail.”
I think that these x-rays shine a revealing light on human sexuality. That, when it’s all said and done, we’re all just flesh and bone and body parts led by a brain that has been hard-wired to want and desire sex for procreation—and pleasure. So, if you look at our bodies in that way, this x-ray pin-up gal is nothing more than that—in stiletto heels, of course!
Unknown Portrait of a suited young man 1890s (ca) Mirror, photograph on reverse
Anon. With the Compliments of Him Who Sells Goods Cheap at East Mason, Warren Co., Ohio n.d. Carte de visite size, photographic business card
Anthony Berger Lincoln 1864, 9 February (taken) 1864 (created) Campaign Pin
Anon. Page from “A New Map of the River Thames from Oxford to London” 1872 edition by Henry W. Taunt n.d.
Anon. Case notes with photo of Cuthbert Charles Duguid Morrice, + inserted note with drawings 1898 Case notes with photo
Anon. Four stick pins. n.d. Jewelry Anon. Hairband, made of four standards of human hair with a tinted albumen image, English 1865 (ca)
HERE’S A VERY INTERESTING ON-LINE EXHIBITION that has focused on 19th century objects where photographs have been added or incorporated to add to, inform or decorate. This exhibition is just one of many on Luminous Lint, the best and most complete web site/resource on photography today. Luminous Lint is the result of years and years of hard work by Alan Griffiths, who is leaving the world an amazing archive. What I love about Luminous Lint is that it is a living resource for photographers, artists, students, collectors and academics. While you are there, sign up for their free email newsletter.
JOEY LIN HAS ONEof the best blogs on art and beautiful things I have seen. You can count on Joey to uncoversome amazing objects, objects which will open your eyes and your imagination. His vision and mine seem to overlap so many times I feel as if I know him well—though we have never met in person.
These vintage roller skating boxes, hand embellished and decorated by by their long ago owners, are just a sampling of what he has to offer. Check him out on his blog Anonymous Works.
IF YOU HAVE EVER WALKED THROUGH an abandoned building, you know it can be a very unsettling experience. Voices of the past, long stilled by neglect and abandonment, can still be heard if your imagination is sharp. Natural creeks and groans of the building itself, the aggregated debris from decay, barrage your senses. The sound you make is amplified, echoing down the halls and announcing your arrival to God knows what or who. Nature, or it’s omnipotent power for change, is ever present, doing its job, taking its time—for nature has all the time in the world. You feel like an intruder. You will never “belong” to an abandoned building, you are always a trespasser even if you have permission (which you rarely are granted). Yes, abandoned buildings are simply repositories for the ghosts of another time. And if you enter one, you’ll probably already know that the only ones comfortable there are the bugs and mice and the voices of the past.
(Above) Vintage postcard from Prehistoric Forest in better days. This card is available at CardCow.
(Above) Back of postcard.
(Above) A Woolly Mammoth at the long abandoned Prehistoric Forest in Irish Hills, Michigan. Image © Debra Jane Seltzer. Image from RoadsideArchitecture.
Image © Debra Jane Seltzer. Image from RoadsideArchitecture.
Image © Debra Jane Seltzer. Image from RoadsideArchitecture.
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