Antique Impressions: Metallic Visions
A convergence of ideas and mood has me seeing
Metallic Visions through an Antique Lens.
The garden in early April,
Awaiting the Green taste of Spring,
Appears to be adrift in time.
Past mixes with the Present’s rusted hue.
Two bolts diverge on the table-top,
Each equally good of wear;
One will be used by chance,
And that is the only difference.
An Uncertain Nail knows not
Where it wishes to be.
Drifting into a rusted hue,
Like a half-forgotten reverie,
It hides in plain sight.
Note: A mix of ideas came together to inspire my experiments in texture and colour over the last couple of posts. A bit of synchronicity prompted me – see the Refrigerator Magnate post, Kitchen Gadgetry – it fit in with where my train of thought was going and started the idea gears turning. Images can be seen enlarged when clicked.
What if Wednesday: Steampunk Church Windows
In the steampunk church known as Our Lady of Ulthar, the cat is sacred. The followers of this church are hard working data miners and their families. They toil with pneumatic U-tubes harvesting the swollen blogs that are squeezed for their rich social linkages. They believe that in the eyes of the cat can be found the knowledge that does not grow on The Great Text Tree. They believe that The Face Book can only be understood once the Code of Katrina, Our Lady of Ulthar is revealed. Her Code is like the wind that moves the Chimes of Chronus. They start each service with the following invocation:
” It is said that in Ulthar, which lies beyond the river Skai, no man may kill a cat; and this I can verily believe as I gaze upon him who sitteth purring before the fire. For the cat is cryptic, and close to strange things which men cannot see. He is the soul of antique Aegyptus, and bearer of tales from forgotten cities in Meroe and Ophir. He is the kin of the jungle’s lords, and heir to the secrets of hoary and sinister Africa. The Sphinx is his cousin, and he speaks her language; but he is more ancient than the Sphinx, and remembers that which she hath forgotten.”
Behold the poppies that grow in the Gardens of Ulthar. Breath in their sweet dreams and know that we shall gather there with Our Lady . Gather the circuits and the Boards of Memory that they may reveal the Code of Katrina. Listen to Difference Engine as it purrs the Calculations of Chronus.
Who would disturb a sleeping cat as it dreams of the Digital Yarn that Unites the World there in Her arms ?
Note: To learn more about the basis of this what-if check the earlier post: In the Gardens of Ulthar to find out about H.P. Lovecraft’s tale of The Cats of Ulthar.
Click the following link to learn more about Charles Babbage’s Computing Engine.
What If Wednesday: 1940′s E-Book
The early E-Books of the 1940′s had a difficult time establishing themselves, in spite of war-time paper rationing. The strongly traditional education system was not comfortable with such an innovation and most bound books were kept in better condition; the North American throw-away mentality would not become a strong business/consumer model until the 1960′s. The E-Books had trouble acquiring access to a large variety of material. Most established writers were still under contract to the large publishing houses. There was an attempt to cover the lack of material by supplying an anthology style format. Of course this put them in competition with the still successful pulp magazines, which together with the growing comic-book market, held sway over the news-stand outlets.
To further compound their problems, this was the Golden Age of Radio, and access to wireless networks were dominated by both national and regional broadcasters. Radio of this time period emphasized group/family audience and shared experience. It was also providing the majority of its programming live. Immediacy was the key word. In a time of war, people were drawn together for mutual support and shared common experience. They needed a form of mass media entertainment to take their minds away from their troubles and also provide up-to-date news to keep them secure.
The final obstacle that these early E-Books faced was a lack of a consistent long-lasting power source. Once again these innovators ran into problems with established industries. Power companies were reluctant to make changes to their electrical plugs to accommodate this new technology. Since a number of Radio broadcast networks were closely connected to electrical generation, there was little appetite to open the doors to any new form of mass media technology.
As a consequence, the E-Books had to rely heavily on kinetic generation of electrical charging. This necessitated that the books were as thick as most standard book and had the additional weight of the early electronic components. This made E-Books more cumbersome than they could have been and the added weight increased the risk of damaging the components.
The E-Books did leave one lasting impact on vernacular language . Because of their unusual variety of content and innovation in their front display menu many people responded with some confusion ( another obvious marketing weakness), A common expression entered the language that is still with us today; “You can not judge an E-Book by its cover.”
What If Wednesday: Steampunk Star-gate & Atlantean Portal
Journey into a realm of possibilities. Step through a Steampunk Star-gate into the what if’s of history. Turn the dial of disbelief and lift the throttle of your imagination. Perhaps you will discover Atlantean Artifacts Revealed, such as the famous Atlantean Bull Mural.
We may find our way through an Atlantean Portal and discover the secrets of Leng and Hyperborea. Step through the portal, if you dare, and visit a surreal shoreline and mystic seas.
Wonder at the what if’s awaiting you and go beyond the field you know.
What If Wednesday: Steampunk Photography
It is Wednesday, time to explore another what if of history. One of my particular favourite historical what ifs is steampunk. The retro-Victorian Science Fiction has generated an interesting body of work. The aesthetic has spread into popular culture, even if the term is not necessarily well-known. A recent winter photo and a nature shot taken a while ago became the basis for these two pieces.
What If Wednesday1: Renaissance Photo
I have had a fascination with what if history ever since I read a DC Crisis team-up of the JLA & JSA. What if history took a different turn ? What if the Viking settlement in Newfoundland had not failed ? What if the Alaska had become part of Canada ? What if the Romans had discovered photography ?
( The original version of this seems to have disappeared on the web. I have a complete version that I used with my media students – Photography History 1 (PDF-SlideShow) – also see my other media resources. )
So what if there was photography during the Renaissance ? I wonder what it would look like ? Something like this perhaps ?
Some Merry Gentlemen just in time for Twelfth Night or perhaps there would be portraits of wealthy merchants for us in high school history textbooks.
So many twists and turns in time. So many choices to consider. For more food for thought check out : Uchronia: The Alternate History List is a bibliography of over 3100 novels, stories, essays and other printed material involving the “what ifs” of history , SWINDON PHOTO ALBUM & Toad News , Dr. Roundbottom Scientist & Philosopher . More on the Renaissance check my Renaissance Resource Page.
Photo Note: The merry gentlemen image was created using a scan of a pin box, while the merchant portraits were bases on a photo of an art book cover. Enjoy the day !
Old Time Television Impressions
The early age of television and the design of older television cabinets has a Gernsback Continuum and Raygun Gothic quality. I decided to explore this a bit using some animal photographs that I have taken. Takes me back to my childhood and watching Wild Kingdom , National Geographic Specials, and The Nature of Things. The Baboon was photographed during the African Lion Safari visit. The lizard is one of our two water dragons – more on our three lizards in a later post.
Antique Impressions: Interiors
I keep coming back to themes and techniques of time & memory. Try to vary the subject matter and explore new variations on the techniques and textures. Hopefully I won’t become too repetitive in style & subject. I also am trying to explore the themes without becoming overly maudlin or depressing. I am working on a couple of weather related material that will explore different style and tone. Things are getting a bit crunched – we have to get rest of Alex’s stuff down to his new place for September, deal with other family concerns, then get back for the next school year. I wonder why I am always so concerned with the passage of time and memory?
All Aboard for Lift-off
Picking up again the theme of flight and the dream of flying, here are a few more images of natural flight, early technological flight, and imaginary flight. Well, we are definitely all aboard for lift-off with this first image – all punsangers climb on. Let your imaginations soar.
All images took on an antique tone as I worked with them. This fitted the theme & the particular subjects. The big balloon was in town last summer; my wife & daughter went aloft ( third photograph), along with many other town folk. The balloon was tethered, no flying off to the Emerald City, except in the imagination – but our green forests were visible for all to see .
The Fantasy Fair at the Woodbine Shopping Mall in Etobicoke, ON. has a variety of amusement rides. It is decorated in a turn of the (19th) century style. Hanging from the ceiling is a daring young man in a flying machine.
As I said in the earlier post, we dream of flying. It captivates our imagination, whether we view it through the antique lens of the past, envision a Buck Rogers future, or wish to spread our metaphorical wings to the heavens, like the humblest of birds.
Professor Palindome’s Chrono-Postcard 1
BACK OF CARD
Dear Lady Finchdale,
It has been more than a century since I was last in your gracious presence; from your perspective this message arrives mere minutes after my departure and I have experienced only an hour and thirteen minutes in my new surroundings. From either point of view this marks a historic event; you hold in your hand the first successful chrono-exportation postal delivery. You are at home enjoying the spring of 1891, while I am here in the colonies in the spring of 2011.
By the by, The Dominion of Canada, as they now call it, has numerous provinces and stretches across the upper half of the North American continent. I am presently located in a small community of Elliot Lake – in the mid-Northern part of Ontario province. What is quite remarkable is the economy of this town is mainly based on tourism and retirement. A whole generation in their late fifties and up can retire to a life of leisure and comfort. Unfortunately there is a growing uneasiness as the number of senior citizens begin to out number the young in this part of the world. As always humanity is unbalanced – age, gender, education, and income – on a happier note is that the pursuit beauty, harmony, and art are still with us.
The photonogram – you were correct about the calibration of the phontonic image capturing device and the aetheric imprinting plates sensitivity - on the front of the postcard is of a commercial garden nursery where garden hobbyists can purchase a variety of plants, ornaments, and garden maintenance equipment. Interestingly much of the aesthetic harkens back to our own era or that of the Japanese culture. This present era is such a mix of contradictions . For example, this community’s main economy had once rested on lumber and mining. The ore that had been mined here was used for a power source and medical purposes. The cost became prohibitive and there has been much debate over the value of this power source. Remarkably, for all of their technological and scientific prowess, this society has yet to master the use of the aetheric stream. They struggle with the search for alternative energy sources and can not see the obvious answer.
I must bid adieu as the aetheric steam engine is almost fully charged for the next chronal exportation and I am eager to see what time has in store for me. Hopefully the next postcard will not be too soon/late.
There is much that we do not know about Palindrome or his technology. We don’t even understand how the text on the back of the card scrolls while you read it. For a bit more information on Palindrome click the postcard above.
Flower-grams & Cyanotype Cinema
Another post that opens a window that looks into a world of might have been history. Two more flower-grams, images created by digital means, that appear to belong to an alternative Victorian or Edwardian reality. Plus a strange little animation that would not be out-of-place in a cyanotype cinema, if such a steampunk peep-show theatre existed.
Antique Impressions of the Manufactured2
Went to the local plant nursery with my wife and daughter. I took a few pictures of the garden ornaments and bric-a-brac . Somehow it all had a very Victoriana-Steampunk tone to it all. It may have been a time slip, an alternative reality, or just typical style of garden ornaments. Then again it could have been my choice of subjects and use of imaging effects ( Media constructs reality).
Digital Plastic Camera
I have been experimenting with a texture layer, Aged Photo Effect texture, that was created by Jerry Jones at Shadowhouse Creations. ( His textures and other file sets are free.) The result was interesting. I added a bit of extra stuff of my own to the mix and used it with a recent photograph. I guess there is something ironic in how we use imaging software, like PaintShop Pro or Photoshop to fix-up old photographs and age new digital photographs to give them character.
My second experiment eventually led to just using some of my own textures in a different way. The result has a plastic camera quality. It goes well with the plastic solar dragonfly.
The current fascination with plastic cameras and the Hipstamatic camera app also fits into this trend. We seem to be using the 21st century technology to rediscover and explore the 20th century. This also fits in with how the Steampunk genre of speculative fiction has grown into an aesthetic techno-fashion ( for some it has become a life-style -even in Canada. )
Click the steampunk camera for more information.
Steampunk computers from The Steampunk Workshop.
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