The vintage art of typewriting

I was moseying around an antiques fair in Buxton Pavillion Gardens in Derbyshire over the weekend, when I stumbled upon a curiously characterful vintage find..

.An Underwood portable typewriter, still in its carrying case – and bearing the original warranty. This magnificent machine must surely have been the iPad of its day?

There’s no date on the typewriter or the case, but the dealer suggested this model dates from around 1929. Unusually, the shift and caps keys are in Eastern European typeface - can someone please let ShopCurious know which language this is?

Anyway, it brought back memories of layers of coloured copy paper – yellow, pink, green and blue… and multiple Tipp-ex papers to erase errors.

Oh, and forget iPad art a la David Hockney: What about this story from Oddity Central about Paul Smith, an artist with severe cerebral palsy, who creates the most extraordinary art using an old fashioned typewriter.

Who needs modern technology…


Do you?

007's retro sartorial style

If you’re curious to know more about the legend that is James Bond, do pop along to the new exhibition at the Barbican. Fifty Years of James Bond Style is a must for lovers of retro fashion, illustration, technology and set design. 

As well as major fashion houses, the work of many specialist costume designers is showcased.Original costumes by the likes of Lindy Hemming are on display at the show - along with footage of illustrious cast members performing daredevil acts in their jaw-dropping outfits. You'll see Beatrice ‘Bumble’ Dawson’s creations for Pussy Galore, including the famous golden waistcoat, which tantalized Bond with its glow. And guess who these items of swimwear belonged to...

 

Did you know that Sean Connery’s first suit followed the late Savile Row tailor Anthony Sinclair’s line, which became known as the Conduit Cut? The tailor’s clientele included army men, who favoured a cavalry style – slim trousers, plus a jacket with a high arm hole and 'hacking cut.' It was Terence Young, the director of ‘Dr No’, who first introduced Connery to Sinclair.

By the way, if you’re looking for some sartorially retro style, how about these OR WOT! braces at ShopCurious – they’re produced by the oldest braces manufacturer in the world, who, of course, are responsible for James Bond’s braces.

The exhibition also features Richard Chopping’s illustrations for the dust jackets of Fleming’s James Bond novels, plus sketches and promotional artwork for the 007 films. Oh, and there are plenty of geeky gadgets and espionage paraphernalia too. That’s if you don’t get waylaid at the Martini bar…

Will You?

Slow-tech lifestyle shift?

I was reading Elle Decoration’s recent trend report, which seemed rather like a manifesto for shopping curiously – favouring nature-inspired pieces, along with "humble materials, upcycled treasures and… quilted fabrics."

If you’ve visited central London recently you may not have noticed any move towards frugality, but after the recent riots, we’ve begun to think in a totally different way.




ShopCurious has been pivotal in the shift towards vintage and recycling. We’ve been helping lead consumers towards a less wasteful, more meaningful future - from hi-tech to artisanal; from unnecessary extravagance to provenance…













Trends indicate that a lot more of us are starting to look back to a previous (more reliable) time, when the physical and tangible prevailed… But can we not combine the advantages of modern technology with our old-found knowledge of what works, and what doesn’t, to create innovative, contemporary solutions?




On that note, you may like this curiously quirky, collectable out of print book - Corey Ford’s Guide to Thimking (sic). With over 40 vintage cartoons and groovy graphics on the cover, this ‘humorous handbook for the machine age’ is the height of retroprogressive cool.

Are you?

PS My prescient predictions from September 2010 are also worth re-reading.

QR coding the future of design

The Royal College of Art’s graduate show, Show RCA 2011, starts tomorrow. Billed as ‘a must see event for anyone interested in 21st century art and design,’ the description fails to convey the breathtaking creativity and innovative genius of the designers whose work is on display.

This year, a unqiue QR code is incorporated into the details of each of the 431 students works, linking to their relevant page in an online catalogue, their Linkedin profiles and CVs.




What we may eventually discover is that blown up versions of QR codes are great as works of art in their own right, especially as the monochrome look is so popular in interior styling these days - and mosaics are also experiencing something of a revival.

ShopCurious spotted this fabulous fashion inspired QR piece (left), please let us know if you have any information on the artist.



RCA exhibitor Thorunn Arnadottir’s designs incorporate both QR technology and mosaics. Her project explores ‘the juxtaposition of fame and personal privacy in the new environment.’ By fusing ancient African methods - beads for communication and masks that project identity with modern technology - she proposes a way of channeling the current obsession with vanity and fame, to the benefit of NGOs and charitable organizations.













But she’s also created this ‘super-self-promotional dress’ for a pop star Kali in Steed Lord (see below). The curiously clever fashion statement is composed of QR codes that link to online promotional material, which can be viewed instantly on fans’ mobile phones.

I'm not sure if Kali really needs the dress...

Are you?

Timeless city style...

Our cities are in a constant state of flux. Acting as a hub for residents and commuters alike, major cities are, by definition, ever-evolving through time…Yet, if we consider the history of art, architecture, design and the prevailing culture and tastes of significant cities around the world, we soon discover that their essential character hasn’t changed so much over the years. Each of our great cities is imbued with a timeless style of its own.






In fact, I was just looking up ‘timeless cities’ on the internet and, perhaps appropriately for the times we find ourselves in (and the time of year) the first thing that popped up was something called Timeless Jerusalem (beta), which describes itself as’A 3D virtual city of History, Identity, Learning and Fun’. Built using the Second Life technology platform, the website claims that “Virtual worlds are widely hailed as the future of the Internet.” This one proposes to offer religious and spiritual education and to address the ‘challenges of youth identity development’- whilst, of course, enjoying the benefits of a mercenarily monetized business model.



The second listing by the search engine was a book entitled Timeless Cities: An Architect’s Reflections on Renaissance Italy. Judging by this inclusion in the line up, fantasy hasn’t quite become fact yet, though if we believe everything we read, we’re rapidly headed in that direction - the realities of geography and nature willing! By the way, if you want a sneak preview of our virtual future, I’d recommend you take a look at what the Metaverse Roadmap envisages for us.






Anyway, all this is a rather long-winded introduction to the rather curious, eco-friendly ‘city rings’ that are currently available at ShopCurious. Each of these fantastical creations is made from ‘found objects’ coated in silver and gold, with semi-precious additions to the otherwise quirky array of components - including pencil sharpeners, bottle tops and hair slides. The rings are the uniquely arty interpretation of famous cities, according to innovative young jewellery designer, Alina Jessipovich.




I’ll leave you to work out which cities are represented…and to make your own conclusions as to whether their style is truly timeless.

Will you?