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RETRO/TECHNO

A light painted love letter to the history of gadgetry

I have a mild obsession

with collecting gadgets, there's no denying it. Every time I'm at a Goodwill or Savers I always find myself in the little disorganized electronics section; surrounded by old VHS tapes, parts of hi-fi systems and sometimes, projectors (my favorite). Over this winter break I decided to practice some photographic light painting techniques and figured now was a good time to show off some of my favorite gadgets. I hope you enjoy this little collection of misfit gadgets as much as I enjoyed putting them together. -Will

PANASONIC TR-1000P Portable television (1982) Designed for "international travel" beginning in 1980

In 1982 Italy decimated W. Germany in a 3-1 World Cup victory

Texas Instruments SR-11 Calculator Not pictured: totally not-nerdy-at-all leather case with belt clip.

The envy of every accountant when it was released in 1973.

GENERAL ELECTRIC SOLID STATE CLOCK RADIO (1967) "The moment I wake up, before I put on my make up, I say a little prayer for you." -Aretha Franklin (1967)

Keystone Belmont 16mm projector (1953)

"I hate this nightgown. I hate all my nightgowns, and I hate all my underwear too." -Audrey Hepburn "roman holiday" (1953)

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye camera (1950) "The quintessential camera"

"all About Eve" was released in 1950 and starred Marilyn Monroe, arguably the most photographed woman in the world at that time.

Western electric "302" telephone (1937) Technical marvel, American staple.

Created by American engineering genius Henry Dreyfuss, the "302" was originally supposed to be made from molded metal however wartime metal shortages forced a design change to (slightly) lighter-weight thermoplastic.

WESTERN ELECTRIC 20T INTERCOM CANDLESTICK NOT QUITE "col. Mustard with the candlestick in the study" but heavy enough to be.

Alexander Graham Bell originally wanted people to answer the phone with the greeting "Ahoy!" But Thomas Edison's more hip and catchy "Hello!" Eventually became the standard for English speaking countries.

AHOY!

While working on this project I quickly realized I wanted to include a phone (or two) in the series. Luckily, my friend Russel in Las Vegas is an avid collector of vintage phones. He loaned me the two phones in this collection and when he suggested I visit him to pick them out I jumped at the chance. Russel has a collection of over 900 amazing vintage telephones and I felt very lucky to be able to see the collection. The photo on the next page is just one room of many filled with history. I'm so excited to be able to include them in this series and to share them with you all.

@WILLDANGELO