Dandelion magic toy.

Here is the dandelion magic trick. Because there is already the element of magic attached to it, I like to think that one can throw in the myths associated with dandelions, and make a wish as you spin it, or send a thought to a loved one. I think the green string worked wonderfully with the image but will not work for many others so I need to start a little collection.
The metal spins much better than the card prototypes because it is heavier= better inertia. ( I say as if I really know what that means).

I think the interactive element to this allows so much more room for triggering and/creating memories associated with this old invention and it's revamp.
I am working on an animated gif to give an idea of how beautifully the images become one when it spins.

Abra cadabra: Concocting the spell

I attempted both etching and piercing the silver for the pieces, etching the pennyfarthing and rider on either side of one disc of silver.

 I pierced the dandelion and diagrettes on two thinner silver discs, as the image allowed for piercing it our without any pieces falling out-a limitation i will have to consider with my future attempts.

 I blackened and then removed the blackening around the pierced sections so that they would stand out next to the vinyl which i used as a backing for each image, in-between the two sheets of silver.

 I drilled holes all around each disc which was quite tricky to align, I did my best by drilling four evenly spaced holes lied up on each, and then tightly tying them together through those holes before drilling further.

 The etched disc is unfotrunately not as harsh a silhouette as is necessary for this trick to work, but perhaps resin might be the solution, if i etch deeper a thicker disc in future. It is quite important to get this one right eventually because it allows for the images in which pierced pieces would fall out- such as the bicycle or bird cage.

The holes around the discs are there because I think threading the edges is a good solution to give it an extra something. a flat disc can be quite boring, and it will also be a visual link to the string that it spins on.

Victorian Magic. Folklore fun.

I have tried a few variations of images to combine for the magic necklaces. And the possibilities are simply endless, but here are a few.

Bird and Cage

Cyclist and pennyfarthing

Dandylion and diagrettes

Tea pot and cup

Animals 

Boy and his stick horse

Fish/butterfly and net

As Metcalf refers to in his essay On The Nature of Jewellery, it's limitations and boundaries can be a useful guideline, as opposed to a constriction. This too can apply in the subject matter, i think, because it becomes overwhelming to consider the world of existing objects or imagery. To help with this, better defining my area of "folklore" and "nostalgia" will happily limit my spectrum of images. 

Perhaps, even then, it might be best to focus on personal or European folklore, for example. I hope to feel it over time.

Interactive Folklore

These are my beginning designs for a Victorian-type magic trick necklace. It takes two folklife images and makes them one if you spin the disc.

I think nostalgia is a multi-sensory experience. Although one thing might evoke it, it can trigger the memory of a smell, a physical feeling, an emotion, a sound, etc. Interactive objects could be more memorable because they stimulate a range of senses. It is also customary of folklore in that it can be passed down in oral narrative, games, or physical objects.

I think of folklore as something that has to be "told" or "taught" and thus shared. Games, stories and tricks, lessons and arts (all of which I strongly associate with the idea of folklore) are shared between people, making them more memorable and clouding them with a nostalgic feeling. I'm feeling the need to make objects which make one say " Ah! Remember when..."