The show seemed somewhat smaller this year than last, with even less furniture, and more lifestyle items. Lighting, tile, wall coverings and rug products were in abundance, along with silicone and stone designs. This year’s show appeared to have much more energy than that of 2012. Perhaps a good sign for the industry and economy.
Below are snaps of textures and giveaways bags which caught my eye.
I traveled down to Philadelphia recently and found myself walking on the lovely Ben Franklin Parkway. I was swept away by the majestic, Beaux-Arts central branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
I wandered into the Picture Collection and found these goodies – antique stereoscopes – devices for viewing a stereoscopic card which contains two separate images on a single card. There’s a right and a left-eye view of the same scene, and the device allows them to be seen as a single three-dimensional image.
The earliest stereoscope was invented in 1938 by Sir Charles Wheatstone, and over the next 20 years, it was advanced and improved upon by others. Up until the 1920s, stereoscopes were important vehicles for home entertainment and education, eventually being replaced by film and later, television. Stereoscopy laid the groundwork for the stereo cameras, ViewMasters and the early red/blue 3D glasses of the mid 20th century. Stereoscopes must have been the iPhones of their time.
In 2010, Hasbro began producing a stereoscope designed to hold an iPhone or iPod Touch, called My3D, where apps on a mobile phone fill-in for the stereo cards.
Everything old is new again.
On 2 february 2013, New Yorkers will celebrate the 100th birthday of Grand Central Terminal (GCT). One of our most beautiful Beaux-Art edifices and an iconic landmark, is one of my favorite spaces.
The previous Victorian Grand Central Depot opened in 1871. Architectural firms Reed & Stem and Warren & Wetmore were the brains behind the current station. The wonderful book, Grand Central Terminal: City within the City, thoroughly covers GCT’s story. A gift from its designer, Keith Godard – my former employer – it also includes a model kit to build your own GCT.
At midnight on 2 february 1913, the Grand Central’s doors opened to more than 150,000 people to marvel at its opulence and grandeur: The massive marble staircases, the iconic four-sided clock, and the magnificent fresco of the constellations soaring across the vaulted 125-foot ceiling.
The information booth is the meeting place of the station, topped with a magnificent clock. Pentagram expertly used the iconic clock as part of GCT’s newest brand identity.
Grand Central Terminal fell into decline as the railroads fell out of favor. In the 70s, it was a dark and dusty dump. The building was nearly razed (the old Pennsylvania Station was razed) to build an office tower. In 1976, with the assistance of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Grand Central Terminal was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1978, the US Supreme Court upheld New York City’s right to preserve historic buildings.
One hundred years later, nearly 750,000 people whiz through Grand Central’s halls each day, some heading to one of its 123 tracks, making it the largest hub for train traffic in the world.
A full year of activities begins Friday, 1 february 2013. Ceremonies, exhibitions, music and dance entertainment, lectures, special offers, photo opps and more.
A few weeks back, the PowerBall jackpot topped $500 million. The odds of winning were 1 in 175 million, yet tickets were selling at a rate of 130,000 per minute nationwide. With next year being of the “13″ variety, the holiday card theme had to be about luck.
Holiday greetings to all!
Your message for 2013 is…?
As a result of my previous post, The Graphic Surrealism of the Brothers Quay, a member of Zeitgeist Films reached out to me about a photo contest the company is running based on the work of the avant-garde filmmakers (I’ve blogged a lot about the Quays’ work).
Since I’m only a so-so photographer, I can’t do the contest justice, but to photographers looking for a unique creative challenge, this may be for you. Or feel free to pass it along. The contest opened on 6 september 2012 and will accept entries through 30 november 2012. Winners will be announced in January – there are some great prizes!
PS > Check out (or follow) the contest submissions on Pinterest.
