When is an icon, an icon?

Icons are symbols which represent an object in a literal sense.  
But over the past several decades due to the rising fascination with the notion of celebrity, 
the word ‘Icon’ has come to represent or encapsulate qualities of a person whose talent or persona is charismatic to the masses.

The theory of semiotics, which includes the definition of an icon, was developed in part by Charles S. Peirce in the late 19th century. 
It states that: an icon uses shape, colour, sound, texture, and other graphic elements to create a recognisable connection between an image and an idea. 
Icons are likeness that convey the idea of the thing they represent by imitating them -
 such as a photograph or illustration of something.

Of late, shiftazine keeps coming across pictures of religious icons...primarily that of Jesus.  
Examples of this ‘holy’ image have been found in second hand clothes stores in Berlin, a car boot market in Melbourne and in interesting ‘tat’ stores like Seasonal Concepts in Sydney.

They are strange in that they are not a secular object, and represent supposedly a philosophical belief, and yet 
there they sit, in very secular situations waiting to be bought by some person who sees their beauty other than a religious one.  

Is there a theme happening here?  Is there a need for a sense of ‘mystery’ in people’s lives?

Berlin Colours: No. 4 The 70s

The 1970s was such a graphic time.  
The colours could be restrained but their always played their part in making strong visual statements.  
It was about the Bauhaus vision. 

Its a sign of the times: Wallism September

Hand lettering, sign writing, the beautiful unconscious consideration of type was the norm in the first half of the 20th century.  
These examples are still around the urban landscape but they are rapidly fading and peeling away before our very eyes.  
Take photographs of these Wallism examples before it is too late, 
and love and draw pleasure from them while they are still here.

In the Company of Junk

Looking for that hidden or lost treasure is an admirable past time. 
The curation of stores like The Junk Company in Melbourne and Seasonal Concepts in Sydney is an education 
and a great source of inspiration for those who see beauty in unexpected places or objects. 

Vinyl Still Rocks!

I remember how buying a vinyl record was THE BEST thing I could do.  
I spent half of my first salary (which I wont even say how tiny it was) on a LP (that is 'long playing').  
I have not bought any vinyl for such a long time, but I have kept my entire collection as it is a form of telling my story.  
Music is such a great way to retrieve memories from deep within.  
There are still many a devotee who honours the look and sound and ceremony of playing vinyl on a record player.  
Italy has never gotten over vinyl, you can find some amazing record stores still in Rome and Bologna and I imagine elsewhere. 

I found a wonderful source of spinning gold when I recently road tripped down to Melbourne, Australia at 
The Junk Company at 583 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000 P: 03 9328 8121

Scaling the Walls

This is a serious case of Wallism. 
Building clusters of tall concrete apartment blocks seemed like a good idea in the 1970s.  It solved so many problems and created so many new ones.  
The tall shadows they cast turned parks into waste lands where the sun shone no more. 
 The streets around them became dark, cold, wind tunnels.  
The buildings blocked the sky and the view.  Overall not a great idea.  
Unfortunately it is not that easy pulling these types of structures down, and where to do you relocate all the residents of these eyesores?

You can't pull them down and you can't bring the sun back to the surrounding areas, but
 you can treat the huge volume of wall space as delicious canvases upon which to paint graphic patterns.  

This example of Wallism was found in Potsdam, Germany which has been famous for centuries for its extraordinarily beautiful palaces and buildings.  
The world is full of great stuff, just go and have a look.

The 1950s_A Brave New World

Shake, rattle and roll.  The theme of the 1950s.  

Every year the tribe of '50s' followers gather at Rose Seilder House, a part of Heritage House, and 

celebrate all things and aspects of the decade.

Many people describe this period as being a simpler time.  

But that would be completely misunderstanding what this extraordinary decade was about.  

It was about forgetting, for reinventing, for rejecting, for driving into a tall martini and

 whatever else it took to blur the memories of the last decade or so. 

The 1950s followed a decade of world war and before that, a decade of world economic depression.  

So there really was not a lot to hold on to. Look forward, not back.

It was the beginning of the modern age.  

It had fabulous fashion, music, films, literature, design, and architecture.  

One could go on about its creative achievements, but it was not simple, and it was not romantic, it was just different from now, thats all.

Berlin Colours: No. 3 'The Enduring'

There are several metro stations in west Berlin that were built in the 1930s that are just as fresh and as visually powerful as the day they were built.  
Although the colours are bright and engaging in these happier days, they have witness some very dark and ugly actions that MUST NEVER be repeated.        

Thankfully and despite almost everything, the joy found within these colourful tiles has endured.

A Fawn in the Fern

People are forever generous with their talents.  
This beautiful example of Wallism was found in a back street of Redfern Sydney on the way to the Carriage Works with its Saturday Farmers' Market. 

Hello Good Buy!

2nd hand clothes, recycled fashion, pre loved wardrobe...whatever you chose to call it, its a great opportunity for budget challenged fashionistas.  
There is a world of great buys, fantastic finds, or that piece that will bring your whole wardrobe together, just out there...hiding behind less than glamourous doorways.



Go out and explore.  Trust your own sense of style.  
Have a double hit of joy: a great piece AND a great price.  Lets go!

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

A beautiful gestalt.  There is probably one of these assemblages just waiting to be created in your own home.  
Have a play and see what happens.

A rescue shelter for unloved furniture

Another example of how old junk or tied old furniture can be turned into objects that MUST be in your life. 
FURNITURE FROM THE ATTIC is such a place where you can give a rescued object a new home.  
On the corner of Glenmore Road and New South Head Road, in between the eastern suburds of Edgecliff and Rushcutters Bay, 
one can find the most delightful pieces that will just re-enforce the upcycle philosophy of shiftazine.

'The Beach'

The ability to see an alternative function within an object is limitless.  
Turning an old 'tinnie' into a huge BBQ is a brilliant and innovative idea!  
Taking large glass flagons and using them as outdoor light is both creating an alternative function and a great aesthetic.  
'The Beach' in East Kreutzberg is a great place to hang out and get inspired.  

Berlin Colours : No.2 'The Tattered'

The tattered furniture of the groovy bars, the tattered wall-scapes found strangely living side by side with some uber contemporary building, 
the tattered colours of a poster or a wall paper.  
They are all there, witness to the past but invited to stay a little longer.

Violet Eyes

Watching Saturday old time midday movies, and a love of all things quirky were but two elements in the mix 
that has lead to an artist of flowers Myra to bring beauty to our world, one bunch of flowers at a time.
  
MY VIOLET_ shop 4 / 17-21 George Street Redfern.  www.myviolet.com.au or 0405 910 029

Life in the fast lane

Berlin shifted as circumstances changed.  
As the ability to adapt and grow is an indicator of intelligence, one is left believing Berlin is a very 'bright' place. 

Berlin Colours: No.1 'The Sweet'

The colours of Berlin are diversity and constant and as intense as the people and the city itself. 
It is unfair to throw all of them together in a double page spread like a big buffet.  
They deserve to be honoured for their individual and evocative selves.  
So this is the first of many Berlin Colour spreads, and the sweet colours of macaroons and faded ballroom ceilings start the ball rolling.  
Enjoy the series.

Preloved and Pretty Perfect

A plethora of pre-loved clothes shops populate the eastern areas of Berlin, namely Kreuzberg (especially West Kreuzberg), Friedrichshain, and Prenzlauer Berg.  
The clothes are sorted by colours or styles.  
They are cleaned and pressed with a great care and presented to the world with great pride.  
The shops themselves are old ballrooms, empty 1930s factories, apartment building basements.  
Even if you do not buy anything, you will enjoy the overall retail experience. 

Out of this world

There is little to say other than how wonderful that the notion of rugged individualism is embraced and is thriving.  
There are a lot of places that could learn from the citizens of Berlin.

Detail Detail Detail

When one walks the streets of Berlin, it is easy to find a level of care and detail that confirms that there is opportunity to create 
something beautiful at almost every moment of the day.

A different kind of Wallism

Yesterday shiftazine went east of the wall.  
It was a moving and shifting experience.  
Thousands of tears have fallen, thousands of words have been spoke...things did change but there is a sadness that hangs in the air.  
What a ******* waste of time, money and humanity. 

Street shopping

Some more examples of street orphans.  
Some look like they are ready to rock and roll. 
Some need a bit of reconstruction.  
All would be just fine in someone's home.  
It's all out there just ready for the picking.

Reflecting on a good idea

Everything has a second life if you just shift the way you perceive it.

My type of wall

Wallism strikes again.  
A wonderful ode to old style typography and letter forms brought to us by Marty Roultedge 
and the person who owns the car park wall in James Street, Brisbane Australia.

JoyDay_Sweet memories

Celebrate the thing(s) that bring you JOY on 25th November every year.

Love blossoms

I know a beautiful girl who has beautiful ideas and beautiful style.  

She makes beautiful things out of beautiful flowers. She got married to a beautiful man in a beautiful wedding.  

She wore a beautiful dress which was made by Australian fashion flower children "Romance was Born".  

She has been very generous in letting us enjoy a snap shot of her beautiful day.

Powder Room Boom

One Margarita leads to another, which eventually leads to the powder room.  
Up the stairs, away from the musical grooves swirling around the bar below, Aracida Liquors’ powder room is, as one might say, a surprise.

It’s an explosion of visual statements. 
From the beautiful patterns thrown onto the ceiling to the interesting sculptures in the waiting area.

The space is made up of a little of this, and a little of that, but it’s end result is singular in effect. Fantastic. 
Arcadia Liquors, 7 Cope Street, The Fern (Redfern) Sydney Australia.

Brooching the Subject

Its the details that count when building a great rig.  
The local market or church or school fete has a gold mine of possibilities when it comes to creating your own signature style.  
Just because it costs $2 does not mean its rubbish. Jump in and buy some pieces for your wardrobe.

Grow a little

Waste is something we do, rather than something that exists.  Salvage an object that has been cast away and reinvent its role.  
By creatively re-using and recycling resources, anything can have a second purpose.  There is a pleasure to be found in the process of re-using an object, 
in creating something new from something old. 
A beautiful shape, unusual colours, with a story to tell, can be resurrected.  
A little imagination is all you need to breath new life into old things.  

There is a pleasure in growing your own food too. So this is a win win idea.  
Grow a new way of thinking. Have a look at ‘Grow it Local’ site for information and ideas about growing your own lovely herbs, and vegetables.