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Sunday 25 September 2011

Contemporary curiosities



The pop art and punk of postmodernism have morphed into a new (albeit retro-progressive) age of crafting and collecting.

But what started out as a genuine curiosity for naturally beautiful, or unusual, things and their provenance has become something of a preoccupation with packaging rather than content. Have you noticed how so many things appear inside domes these days – or encased in resin?

And what constitutes a curiosity anyway? Just because something’s unusually large, or very tiny does that mean it’s especially unique or valuable?




Postmodernist media-led consumerism segued into the electronic age of the internet – so will the new age of rummaging for ‘found’ objects, and recycling, pave the way for another reinvention of communications networks and social structures?

ShopCurious spotted some curiously crafty postmodernist-influenced creations at the London Design Festival - Tine De Ruysser’s bank note jewellery and wall art amongst them. But, beyond postmodernism, is there room for a whole new exchange mechanism - something like a bartering based economy? Will money itself eventually become something of a curiosity?



Latest trends aside, we seem to be moving into uncharted territory. I have a feeling that our lives are about to become a lot more curious…

Do you?

7 comments:

Annie Wright said...

Curiouser and curiouser said Alice...

LenoreNeverM♡re said...

adore glass domes, Susan!
love the way people use them to decorate their homes or store displays lately! Would be nice to have a few myself...
Hope your weekend was fab!

xo

worm said...

susan, you might be interested in the art of my friend alastair mackie - he's been using domes for years

latest dome work pic here

Jan said...

Had no idea there's a dome
trend going on.
Erm, not sure I want to
encase things.
Just sayin'.

Susan said...

Thanks for the photo worm... Am curious to know what's inside Alastair's dome. Looks like a hologram??

worm said...

its a stuffed goshawk Susan - he silvered the inside of the dome so that you can only just see it from certain angles. Other domes of his (made from mouse skulls taken from regurgitated owl pellets):

here

Susan said...

All very curious, worm! No humans in glass jars then?

Perhaps Jan is right to be concerned...