Tick Tock

Tick Tock

By Joel Feinberg, Isaac Hamaoui, Jenna Bawer, and Robin Tainsh

Our cabinet of curiosities features objects and artwork with a softer, older feel. The modernity of the West Quad Building was spurned in our collection. We focused on a gentler color palette, the colors of nature and muted tones. The lines in our cabinet, for the most part, feel soft, and we brought nature in wherever we could. There are objects that stray slightly from the criteria laid out here. Nevertheless, they evoke the same feelings of elaborate cornices and sun dappled paths. In this city where so much of our surroundings are made up of gray concrete, tall buildings, and glass, our cabinet attempts to escape the modern city aesthetic.

Time is another prevalent theme, both time keeping devices and how the world moves with time. Our cabinet is filled with items whose style, while still greatly admired, is no longer modern, is no longer new, cutting edge, and in high demand. The value of these pieces does not decrease, yet time continues to move forward. Even within our cabinet, the change of style and technology is evident, murals become photographs and our way of knowing time evolves. This collection boasts two ways of marking the passage of time, both similar yet distinct, one the forerunner of the other.

A path through a patch of beautiful flowers leads to this small sundial in front of the lily pond. Through the natural shadows of the dial created by sunlight, it displays the time of day in a similar fashion to the analog clocks. In this photo, it is almost noon. The face of the sundial features some floral engravings, reflecting its setting in the lily pond garden.
The clock shown above was found on the very top of the Brooklyn College Library. One of the main features that make this clock unique is the gold structure within the minute hand, hour hand, and the roman numerals. A subtle mistake on the otherwise functional clock is how the Roman numeral for the number four on this clock and most others in the building uses the incorrect notation of IIII instead of IV. Additionally, the clock was cleverly placed directly on the building making the face of the clock solid red brick.
In the center of the lily pond, a large pile of stacked rocks rise above the surface of the water, providing a resting place for the many turtles that make their home in the pond. Adorned with green, it is the focal point of the garden.
The fountain illustrated above was spotted near Ingersoll Hall. The fountain features a classic blossom nozzle. Although the water is contaminated and green, this specific nozzle projects the water in such a gentle and peaceful way which forces us to just take a moment to appreciate the architecture of it. Furthermore, the unique structure of the fountain forces us to just sit back and relax.
This mural is painted on the wall of the Laguardia reading room, on the second floor of the Brooklyn College Library. It depicts The Augustan Library on the other side of the window The Alexandrian Library is painted. The murals are titled Famous Libraries of the World: The Augustan Library and The Alexandrian Library and were painted by Olindo Mario Ricci.
The photograph depicted above, captured from the movie Modern Times, illustrates a Charlie Chaplin working late nights in the factory. More specifically, this photograph shows Charlie Chaplin getting tangled inside one of the factory machines. He uses his tools to try to stop the gears to save himself from the machine.

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