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{Point of Reference  #1} . . . {Point of Reference #2}

Olivier Assayas‘ Summer Hours shows the simultaneously solemn, humorous, and emotional introspection that occurs when one has to decide how to deal with the belongings of a recently deceased loved one. It questions the true value of objects and examines attachments to material things. It’s a quiet, thoughtful movie that moved me so much that I found it difficult to hold back tears when recounting the story to a friend.

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Objectified, on the other hand, touches on sentiment, but focuses more on the utility, efficacy, and aesthetic of objects. Gary Hustwit, the design-focused filmmaker who aimed his camera at Helvetica two years ago, now turns his attention away from typography and towards industrial design. He speaks with some big names in the field who offer their historical knowledge and philosophical outlook on the subject. It was clever, enlightening, and certainly gave me a deeper appreciation for the potato peeler. (Seriously.)

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Since watching these films I’ve been absorbed with material objects. I’ve thought about my own — what I love, what I’ve paid loads for, what affection and memory won’t let me part with, etc.  This got me thinking about my friends and their possessions — particularly those whose interests have led to the accumulation of a lot of… stuff. So I asked them about it. And they told me about it…

…which put me on the hunt for more whimsical wall art.

That reminds me!  My friend Margaret told me about the following, which is, believe it or not, both creepy and delightful!

{Point of Reference}

Mechanical Cuckoo from 1650

One of the most well-known lines from The Third Man was not written by Graham Greene, but was actually added by Orson Welles to fill an awkward pause in the middle of a scene.

“…in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love – they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”

Oddly enough, the cuckoo clock actually originated in the Black Forest of Germany and not Switzerland, a point that the Swiss were quick to make to Mr. Welles.

Regardless of its origin, the cuckoo clock is not a simple time piece.  It’s often a complex mechanism housed in an intricately decorated… um… house.

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The detail on these traditional cuckoos is impressive, but there’s also something notable about the handiwork and whimsy of the modern takes on this classic clock.

{Point of Reference}

from fuckyoupenguin.blogspot.com (via Alex and Jon)

from www.zooborns.com (via Mike)

So why wouldn’t we want to decorate our homes with them???

Eat them!

Drink them!

Sleep them!

Breathe them!

{Point of Reference}