Eames "Tops" film from 1969.

Started by Ben, December 07, 2013, 11:42:34 AM

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JODA9395

Quote from: Ben on December 07, 2013, 11:42:34 AM
http://youtu.be/UJ-VFMymEiE

One of my old college professors shared this with me today.  Charles and Ray Eames were a husband and wife duo that designed some incredibly significant furniture, architecture, and exhibition displays.  They also made many films that have come to be classics.  A lot of people know them from "The Powers of Ten."

I bought the DVD to this one. It's how I learned to throw my sasebo top and I use it as a checklist for future tops.

Jeremy McCreary

#16
Love this video more every time I see it. Thanks for reposting!

Mike, you've got to show this to your new artist/engineer friends.
Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time ... and with spinning tops, we decorate both.
—after Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1960-1988

Everything in the world is strange and marvelous to well-open eyes.
—Jose Ortega y Gasset, 1883-1955

JODA9395

I read about the second top. It's from Papua New Guinea and was used in a ceremony of yams. Apparently there was some kind of ceremony with the tops and in the end, a man of authority would deem someone with a good harvest of exceptionally large yams. The top is made of dried coconut shells.

ta0

#18
Quote from: JODA9395 on June 12, 2020, 10:51:10 PM
I read about the second top. It's from Papua New Guinea and was used in a ceremony of yams. Apparently there was some kind of ceremony with the tops and in the end, a man of authority would deem someone with a good harvest of exceptionally large yams. The top is made of dried coconut shells.

Great information, Joda. Do you remember where you read it?

I have these that I got in a regular (non-Ebay) auction and I guess are also from Papua New Guinea. The carving of the coconut shells is similar, but the stems are less finished and longer. One even has some paint:



I'm not sure if the stems are in the right position, with the short side on the concave side, but that's how I got them. They are easy to spin with the concave decorated side down using the fingers. But using a palm start i can spin them concave side up for several seconds.

JODA9395

#19
Quote from: ta0 on June 13, 2020, 11:18:56 AM
Quote from: JODA9395 on June 12, 2020, 10:51:10 PM
I read about the second top. It's from Papua New Guinea and was used in a ceremony of yams. Apparently there was some kind of ceremony with the tops and in the end, a man of authority would deem someone with a good harvest of exceptionally large yams. The top is made of dried coconut shells.

Great information, Joda. Do you remember where you read it?

I have these that I got in a regular (non-Ebay) auction and I guess are also from Papua New Guinea. The carving of the coconut (I think) shells is similar, but the stems are less finished and longer. One even has some paint:

I'm not sure if the stems are in the right position, with the short side on the concave side, but that's how I got them. They are easy to spin with the concave decorated side down using the fingers. But using a palm start i can spin them concave side up for several seconds.

Sure. Here's the link that provides some pictures too. Interestingly, the ones on display have no stems, so it might be possible that different version from different regions of Papua New Guinea exist.

https://www.oceanicartsaustralia.com/art-for-sale/a-collection-of-four-abelam-coconut-spining-tops-east-sepik-province-papua-new-guinea-early-20th-century/

It's also rumored that the color and geometric shapes are just to differentiate between clans.

ta0

Great information about the Abelam People of East Sepik Province and their use of coconut shell tops! Thanks!
The article also says that similar tops are used by a neighboring ethnic group, the Mountain Arapesh.

I bet the tops on that picture are missing the stems because the "art" is on the shells and probably the art gallery thought the stems were detrimental to their value  ::)


JODA9395

#21
Quote from: ta0 on June 13, 2020, 08:10:11 PM
Great information about the Abelam People of East Sepik Province and their use of coconut shell tops! Thanks!
The article also says that similar tops are used by a neighboring ethnic group, the Mountain Arapesh.

I bet the tops on that picture are missing the stems because the "art" is on the shells and probably the art gallery thought the stems were detrimental to their value  ::)

I bet if the children that played with them were to see that, they'd throw a fit. :D

Texture

#22
Just bought a few of those tops.





Me spinning them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx2n03EZRIA

ta0

#23
Nice!

Is Ya'alo an ethnic group?

Those have the same stem than the ones on the Eames video.

Texture

Thought that was what the tops were called? On the card that came with one it says:  "Ya'alo - small spin tops with clan designs. Made for children as toys. Also used in cult ceremonies. The 'eye' of the coconut is said to spin and collect magic for ceremonies. Upper Sepik and April River. Papua New Guinea"


JODA9395

#25
Quote from: Texture on June 16, 2020, 08:47:19 PM
Thought that was what the tops were called? On the card that came with one it says:  "Ya'alo - small spin tops with clan designs. Made for children as toys. Also used in cult ceremonies. The 'eye' of the coconut is said to spin and collect magic for ceremonies. Upper Sepik and April River. Papua New Guinea"

I feel that that each clan or ethnic group utilized them for different purposes.

Texture

You're probably right. Some of them were just toys, and some had magical purposes.  ;)