In July 1960, Los Angeles’ World’s Fair Market (not to be confused with today’s World Market) advertised a complete luau themed tiki set. “The World’s Fair has created a Hawaiian atmosphere complete with all the tropical settings of the South Seas,” said the ad, listing twelve items that you could place in your own backyard and… Continue reading Create a 100% Authentic 1960 Vintage Tiki Decor Home and Backyard
Author: Lee Wallender
Deception, influence, fakes, illusions, themed environments, simulations, secret places, secret infrastructure, imagined places, dreamscapes, movie sets and props, evasions, camouflage, studio backlots, miniatures.
Planet of the Apes (1968) Set Design
Depicting a harsh and dystopian world (at least for the humans), “Planet of the Apes” has become an unlikely film franchise spanning over half a century. The original “Apes” from 1968 has some of the most fantastical, caveman-chic sets of any of the films. Art Directors William Creber and Jack Martin Smith were charged with… Continue reading Planet of the Apes (1968) Set Design
Tiki Torch: See How This Icon of Mid-Century Polynesian Pop Culture Started
The Tiki Torch is both older and newer than you might think. It’s newer in the sense that the tiki torch–or let’s use the brand name, Tiki Torch–burning in your backyard, the bamboo kind with a reservoir filled with petroleum-based fuel, has no basis in true Polynesian history. It’s older in the sense that those… Continue reading Tiki Torch: See How This Icon of Mid-Century Polynesian Pop Culture Started
Dan Bell, Chronicler of Dark Spaces
Dan Bell, or This Is Dan Bell, as his YouTube channel is called, has now been added to the annals of greatness that I am always stockpiling in my mind. Start with the basic information. Maryland resident Dan Bell films himself walking through and, post-production, narrating his strolls through commercial buildings such as resorts, hotels,… Continue reading Dan Bell, Chronicler of Dark Spaces
Conflict Photographer vs. War Photographer: When the Term Began
As someone who loves the English language but hates change, I arch an eyebrow when I hear a new fangled phrase. Language is a continually shifting thing. At no point in history has English been a fixed language. At the very moment you might think it’s fixed, someone out there is creating a new phrase… Continue reading Conflict Photographer vs. War Photographer: When the Term Began