iTopSpin
Current Posts => Latest Spin => Topic started by: Ben on December 07, 2013, 12:42:34 PM
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http://youtu.be/UJ-VFMymEiE (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."
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I really love the little sliver-ball-fringed-tassel-top at 3:33. Also the music at the moment of radiation!
I've enjoyed the DVD set of the Eames' documentaries...I think it would make my list of stuff to save if my house was on fire.
BTW, Welcome Ben...
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This is a wonderful movie for any top collector. We discussed it before here (http://www.ta0.com/forum/index.php/topic,1624.msg16557.html#msg16557), together with the earlier black-and-white version.
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I question the date. There is a plastic flip top at 7:37. Don Olney, didn't you make the first flip tops???? ??? When???? Correct me if I am wrong. :'( :'( Otherwise a great top spinning film.
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I question the date. There is a plastic flip top at 7:37. Don Olney, didn't you make the first flip tops???? ??? When???? Correct me if I am wrong. :'( :'( Otherwise a great top spinning film.
The flipover top, better known as tippe top (or tippy top) became popular in the 1950's and a German patent had been issued as early as 1891 (by a Helene Sperl.) You can read about the history here: www.fysikbasen.dk/English.php?page=Vis&id=79 (http://www.fysikbasen.dk/English.php?page=Vis&id=79)
By the way, for those who read my fiction story, I now realize that Pauli probably had never seen a tippe top until Bohr showed it to him, as it had been re-invented by a Danish engineer (Werner Østberg) just a few years before.
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Thanks Ta0 for getting that straightened out. ;)
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Don Olney, didn't you make the first flip tops???? ???
German patent had been issued as early as 1891 (by a Helene Sperl.)
Based on my poll of how long have you been spinning tops, Don is not quite that old :D
I did not know about the B&W version.
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sweet video. so many tops...
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Really enjoyed watching this. Thanks for sharing!
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I was in Kettering today (a city just a few miles from Miamisburg) and I found a little Art Studio with lots and lots of creative and interesting items inside. Sadly, it was closed so I could only look through the windows. Then I noticed on the windows a long line of famous artist's names.......including Charles and Ray Eames. I wonder how much they know about the Eames and their top spinning video? I will attempt to stop by there sometime and enlighten them a bit!!!
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I never tire of watching this film, and not just for the tops. The angles, lighting, and editing are superb.
ta0: if you have a story involving Pauli, Bohr, and tops, I need to know about it. The photo of the two gazing with wonder at a tippe top on the floor is one of my all-time favoites.
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ta0: if you have a story involving Pauli, Bohr, and tops, I need to know about it. The photo of the two gazing with wonder at a tippe top on the floor is one of my all-time favoites.
Here it is: http://shorts2013.quantumlah.org/entry/famous-photograph
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Love it any one know whos collection it came from ?
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Love it any one know whos collection it came from ?
The Eames collected tops themselves, so many are from their own collection. But on the initial credits they also say they had loans from The Girard Foundation, The Museum of Primitive Art and The Nordic Museum in Stockholm.
Perhaps comparing this film with the previous one they made in black and white we could tell which ones are theirs.
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After years of trying, I finally was by this art studio in Kettering and the door was open. I went over and asked who were the people with the names on the door. They said "we are." I about fell over. It turns out that they were there celebrating the retirement of one of the guys. They were in great spirits and showed me all around their studio with the many creative items. It reminded me of Don Olney's place. Lots of unusual and large mobiles. Lots of splashes of paint on large canvases. Lot of vises and tools. It was a fun visit. They only dabble with this and have full time jobs. One is an an engineer. Sadly, though, they knew nothing about tops or the Eames film. Yet, they really did seem interested and promised to look it up. They also invited me to come back and bring some friends so we could have a creative night together. I am up for that!!!
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http://youtu.be/UJ-VFMymEiE (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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
(https://i.ibb.co/5s65CqM/image.png)
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.
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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.
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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 ::)
(https://i.ibb.co/VVtqskf/image.png)
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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
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Just bought a few of those tops.
(https://i.ibb.co/zNHjnzF/101-4085.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zNHjnzF)
Me spinning them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx2n03EZRIA
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Nice!
Is Ya'alo an ethnic group?
Those have the same stem than the ones on the Eames video.
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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"
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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.
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You're probably right. Some of them were just toys, and some had magical purposes. ;)