157. The Rollei Sketchbook (for Washington Irving)
atelier ying, Nyc
Washington Irving wrote in his essay "Old Christmas" of a nostalgic longing for the flavor of the "honest days of yore", which finds a similar echo of angst in our modern times.
His regret that the old traditions even then were more and more obliterated by the modern fashion of his time, that "those picturesque morsels of Gothic architecture which we see crumbling in various parts of the country ... partly lost in the additions and alterations of latter days", is nothing compared to our current condition where the only vestiges of the original spirit is fed to us with big business in mind via commercialism.
His particular search for the intangible yet sorely missed Christmas feeling is the same today, and drew inspiration for my design.
The traditional camera, starting with its early photographic "salad" days through the abundant expansion of the 1940s, certainly carries a vintage charm before the fireside hearth of commercialism, as it were. This also has become authentic, at this point in time.
What to do? The only way I can figure is to reconcile these far off almost polar associations.
A difficult problem indeed. But in these instances, I always look to a few tried and true cameras that carry much potentiality for me.
My design proposes and offers such an amalgam within one camera, but this is only one example of many.
Washington Irving's literary sketchbook of Old Christmas is mixed in with the modern architectural trend of rooftop additions, which is necessitated by the modern dilemma of a crappy economy and lack of urban space. In the case of our camera it would simply be the viewfinder hot shoe attachment. Washington Irving's literary devices to bring back the nostalgic past is done via the symbols of a Victorian stagecoach, a cottage fireside and a Victorian dining hall. This Rollei 35 SE custom kit (available nowhere) comes with a tripartite viewfinder of a replica of Sunnyside, Irving's 17th century home. Through the windows you can see three different views. the chief one being Irving's writing studio. The formal dining hall resplendent with a festive setting and for travelers of inferior order, a cottage fireside scene. Juxtaposing these last two rooms, a narrow foyer filled with unopened luggage cases places the viewer in a conflict of class distinction as to which to choose. As a final contrasting element, the camera kit is housed in a valise that is a replica of the recently discovered (still an alleged discovery) suitcase belonging to the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, whom I plan to turn my attention to later on with a full-fledged homage, but for the sake of Christmas I will make this it's "cameo appearance". Although he had no direct connection with Kahlo, Irving was the U.S Ambassador to Spain.
A note about the Rollei 35 SE camera: the best thing to do with this would be to digitize it, however it wouldn't shoot the same; the charm of this scale focusing camera is in the working of its front face dials. A fully digital version of this camera issued by Rollei would be ideal. However, the better thing to have in that case would be a printer connected to it so that an inferior digital LCD would be replaced with a photographic print. I include a flip down cover over the LCD to give it a more analogue feeling instead of the usual way of turning off the LCD. A hidden compartment under the camera body reveals a red memory chip containing a facsimile copy of Washington Irving's famous sketchbook recalling the 18th century red armchair in Irving's study with its hidden drawer where he kept his manuscripts. The latch on the Rollei to open its hidden compartment is in the viewfinder's writing studio compartment and can only be toggled by lifting the oil lamp on his desk. To do this a special tool is provided with the kit.
Irving's red armchair is also used in my design no. 92a, for the astronomer William Herschel.
Design, text and drawing are copyright 2013 by David Lo.
157. The Rollei Sketchbook (for Washington Irving)
atelier ying, Nyc
Washington Irving wrote in his essay "Old Christmas" of a nostalgic longing for the flavor of the "honest days of yore", which finds a similar echo of angst in our modern times.
His regret that the old traditions even then were more and more obliterated by the modern fashion of his time, that "those picturesque morsels of Gothic architecture which we see crumbling in various parts of the country ... partly lost in the additions and alterations of latter days", is nothing compared to our current condition where the only vestiges of the original spirit is fed to us with big business in mind via commercialism.
His particular search for the intangible yet sorely missed Christmas feeling is the same today, and drew inspiration for my design.
The traditional camera, starting with its early photographic "salad" days through the abundant expansion of the 1940s, certainly carries a vintage charm before the fireside hearth of commercialism, as it were. This also has become authentic, at this point in time.
What to do? The only way I can figure is to reconcile these far off almost polar associations.
A difficult problem indeed. But in these instances, I always look to a few tried and true cameras that carry much potentiality for me.
My design proposes and offers such an amalgam within one camera, but this is only one example of many.
Washington Irving's literary sketchbook of Old Christmas is mixed in with the modern architectural trend of rooftop additions, which is necessitated by the modern dilemma of a crappy economy and lack of urban space. In the case of our camera it would simply be the viewfinder hot shoe attachment. Washington Irving's literary devices to bring back the nostalgic past is done via the symbols of a Victorian stagecoach, a cottage fireside and a Victorian dining hall. This Rollei 35 SE custom kit (available nowhere) comes with a tripartite viewfinder of a replica of Sunnyside, Irving's 17th century home. Through the windows you can see three different views. the chief one being Irving's writing studio. The formal dining hall resplendent with a festive setting and for travelers of inferior order, a cottage fireside scene. Juxtaposing these last two rooms, a narrow foyer filled with unopened luggage cases places the viewer in a conflict of class distinction as to which to choose. As a final contrasting element, the camera kit is housed in a valise that is a replica of the recently discovered (still an alleged discovery) suitcase belonging to the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, whom I plan to turn my attention to later on with a full-fledged homage, but for the sake of Christmas I will make this it's "cameo appearance". Although he had no direct connection with Kahlo, Irving was the U.S Ambassador to Spain.
A note about the Rollei 35 SE camera: the best thing to do with this would be to digitize it, however it wouldn't shoot the same; the charm of this scale focusing camera is in the working of its front face dials. A fully digital version of this camera issued by Rollei would be ideal. However, the better thing to have in that case would be a printer connected to it so that an inferior digital LCD would be replaced with a photographic print. I include a flip down cover over the LCD to give it a more analogue feeling instead of the usual way of turning off the LCD. A hidden compartment under the camera body reveals a red memory chip containing a facsimile copy of Washington Irving's famous sketchbook recalling the 18th century red armchair in Irving's study with its hidden drawer where he kept his manuscripts. The latch on the Rollei to open its hidden compartment is in the viewfinder's writing studio compartment and can only be toggled by lifting the oil lamp on his desk. To do this a special tool is provided with the kit.
Irving's red armchair is also used in my design no. 92a, for the astronomer William Herschel.
Design, text and drawing are copyright 2013 by David Lo.