August 15, 2004
#187 :: Tin Kaleidoscope
Your outlook on life governs your reaction to kaleidoscopes: It's just a kid's toy, you snort. No, you gush, it's an entheogenic viewer for cleansing the mind's eye, an acid-tripper's kit-bag accessory, an artistic medium. Aaahh, it's just a waste of materials. I've been in a few of those camps, but never in the last of them. Putting a new kaleidoscope to your eye sucks you into a quiet bubble that no one else shares, sending you on a tiny expedition: how many mirrors does it have? What little colored particles and knicknacks are rolling around up in the business end? Does the outside view factor into the inner visual vortex? What happens when I point it at this lamp, that TV, the sun? Kaleidoscopes have been around since 1816. They have inspired digital imitation, prompted navel-gazing obsession, and figured into countless business metaphors. This one is sturdy, made of lithographed tin, carefully rolled and crimped and packed with glass mirrors and colored beads in China. It's sturdy little piece of work.