Posts Tagged ‘70s’

It’s 1982 and I’ve just been handed my first Rubik’s Cube…

Thursday, February 4th, 2010


This kind of “hands on” art truly excites me – I mean how freaking cool is that?

Painting without the paint! Hurrah for no clean up!

Keeping his identity hidden the Invader is known mainly for his street art of mosaic tiled characters from the classic arcade game – Space Invaders.

Invading cities all over the world installing the mosaics on those places frequented by many people and more obscure locations. Other sites include the Hollywood sign and Jacques Chirac’s lapel… Check out his invasions here.

As a logical next step to his work he uses Rubik’s Cubes to build up striking images, coming fully equipped with the pixel like colourful squares to make up the desired image. Thus Rubikscubism was born. He says in one interview – “The Rubik’s Cube is a fascinating object being very simple and very complex at the same time. The cube has over 43 billion different color combinations.”

Growing up a bona fide kid of the eighties it was hard to miss the new graphic world that surrounded me. My sister in her polka dot t-shirt that made up a picture of Madonna, my bedroom a blur now of dots and dashes, bright red wardrobes stand blocking old Victoria Plum wallpaper… People swishing passed me  noisily in the mis-matching shell “suits” -angrily playing with their Rubik Cubes (or just trying to peal the stickers off)

I applaud the use of Rubiks cubes in this way, loving the idea of re-using something so recognisable to us as one form to be re-invented in another.

If you’re itching to buy one (or perhaps a big box full?) check out the lovely Toyday for all your retro and traditional toy needs!

If you wanna get with the Rubikscubism vibe check out this ahead of its time 60s Dance-Floor Rubik Cube Top!

A warped form of Nostalgia?

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

We scared ourselves this week, at Ollie&Agnes, by watching Tales of The Unexpected on YouTube! As soon as the title music started to play, and the shadowy woman started dancing, chills ran through us and we were filled with fear and a sense of foreboding. Like fools we continued…as we decided it was a form of warped nostalgia.

We have no idea why we suddenly thought of this 80’s show; but we felt driven to hear that music again and see those iconic titles…And although we cannot talk with much authority on the subject of the plots (because we were too young and not supposed to see it) we watched a couple on YouTube and they were dark!

We did, however, remember the music vividly (as something terrifying from childhood) and those iconic titles. The titles involved the shadow of a woman (with a short, Purdi style hair-cut, which found popularity in the 80’s as well as the 60’s) dancing to the scarily upbeat music; amid a seemingly out-of-control fire and was interspersed with a roulette wheel (go figure), gun, pack of cards and skulls (in case you didn’t get that this was going to be dark!).

The BBC bird, and friend of Ollie&Agnes, remembers dancing like the Purdi woman in the flames when the music came on but admitted it scared the hell out of her; while Knitting Sall, in an understated fashion, described the music as a ‘bit spooky’ and thought some of the twists were disturbing! She remembered one where a man’s wife disappeared and when the police went to his house they found wet concrete in his garage, so they dug it up and found nothing. They apologised, left and then he got her out of the freezer and put her in the hole and covered it with concrete!!!

This British TV series (for those who don’t know) was aired between 1979 and 1988 (you can now buy episodes on Amazon). Some of the early stories were based on work by Roald Dahl (he also introduced some of them too); they featured well-respected actors like Derek Jacobi, Brian Blessed and Elaine Stritch and always involved someone coming to a dire end in an ‘unexpected’ twist. Some of the stories are still scarily, and sadly, relevant today.

Do do do, do do do do do do…go on dare you!

(Or you could just satisfy your nostalgic urges by buying vintage!!!)

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