Under a Mushroom

I've been pondering the relationship between art & everyday household objects. Those cherished possessions, or even less treasured items we have scattered around our homes. Things we sometimes take for granted because of their familiarity, and therefore not always seeing the beauty in what's right in front of our faces on a daily basis. So what the heck is art anyway? Any definition given to what constitutes "art" can never be conclusive & will remain to be debatable due to art being so subjective. If we believe aesthetics to be the dominant branch of philosophy with regards to art, then art can be perceived in any old thing that takes our fancy. Yes, I truly believe art can be found in anything. And everything. I've found it in my beloved Atomic stove-top coffee machine. It's an old, yet still very functional kitchen appliance that I've had for years, but it also transcends beyond the seemingly ordinary role for which it was designed, into a beautiful object of art. I'm now beginning to think that all of this waffling is an attempt of sorts to rationalise why I've chosen to post a photo of my coffee maker on what I claim to be an art themed blog...


...and attempting to further validate the relevance of the photo...

The Atomic coffee maker has an important place in the history of art and design. It made a bold statement that resonates with us today. If you think about it for a moment, you will agree: the Atomic represents the past, present and future of four generations of coffee enthusiasts. Their hopes and dreams cast in bolts of aluminium and bakelite...under the cloud of the mushroom. ~ Excerpt from the CoffeeCrew site (Yay!)

Oh & if you're really passionate about coffee I highly recommend checking out the uber cool CoffeeSnobs site. An extremely informative site dedicated to coffee lovers everywhere. Be sure to visit their Coffee Art Gallery for amazing photos of Latte Art, along with some great tips & tricks on how to pour your own. And by the way, next time you're at a cafe & your coffee arrives with a decorative double rosetta or other pretty pattern floating on top, don't be shy about letting the barista know how much you appreciate their creative talents. The compliment could possibly make his or her day!

With the idea in mind about household appliances being considered great works of art, this suddenly opens up an exciting range of new possibilities. I'm now off to photograph my refrigerator!

Way too much coffee. But if it weren't for the coffee, I'd have no identifiable personality whatsoever. ~ David Letterman