Night Photography/Objects

Some of the Robert Brook photographs of industrial ruins do seem to describe and convey a history and invite one to wonder  not only about what lies beyond, but what was. (i.e. in “Gateway to Ruins of Former Brewery”). What’s striking is that many of these photographs could have been taken almost anywhere, perhaps revealing a very similar history. Abandoned manufacturing sites and bleak industrial landscapes across rivers or from a highway could just as easily speak of a history of social and economic decay in the U.S. and in so many other parts of the ‘advanced’ industrialized (or deindustrialized) world. Perhaps most jarring  is that this vision of that world seems lifeless.

Also looked at the shared link to Detroit photographs. These colorful images reveal there is still some life amidst the ruins. Latour notes that objects have a role to play in the social – to tell a story, (i.e. ‘”express power relations…reinforce social inequalities…”‘)  Viewing these two collections of photographs reveals their ability to convey much about the present and the past.

Skeumorphs

Skeumorphs  in Economics (?)  and at home:

I really had to think about this concept as applied to Economics. Perhaps one can think of this in terms of representations commonly used in conveying traditional economic concepts such as tradeoffs and opportunity cost (the cost of making one choice over another necessitates sacrificing increasingly more of the other because different labor and capital resources are used). For instance, tradeoffs in terms of resource use is often expressed in terms of the choice between “guns” or “butter,” which are used to represent the choice between more or less defense spending vs. more or less spending on social or health or educational services. Neither of course is “guns” or “butter.”  Of course, some defense spending may technically in part mean ‘guns’, but obviously this choice is far more complex.

Economists have also often used the “widgets” and “gadgets” analogy to represent the concept of making choices about various combinations of products than can be produced with a given amount or type of resources. I suppose we all purchase new “gadgets” at times, but it can be argued that these are something entirely different.

Some possible examples from around the house: Some are old objects whose original purpose has been transformed and repurposed, but also serve that ‘decorative’ function (not so sure about this one); others – new objects that have been designed to appear as though they were “discovered” old objects; and then – those with features that are intentionally designed to replicate some earlier form of authenticity, but simply serve a decorative function.

Skeumorphs found at home:

Old oil lamp - now a lamp base

Old oil lamp – now a lamp base

Old hardware on new file cabinets

“Old” hardware on new file cabinets

new vase with intentional flaws

New vase with intentional flaws

new handmade vase crafted to look old

Handmade vase crafted to look old