In past posts I have slammed the warthog who now occupies the White House. I have talked about music. On occasion I have drifted toward the philosophical. What is left to talk about you say? Well here it is; inadvertent shrines.
What am I talking about I hear you musing. Well it is really simple and while it may sound a little odd it is a common occurrence. I have found this happens more often than not. Mostly my research has been anecdotal, that is I have asked my e-friends about whether they too have created accidental shrines and by golly yes they have.
An inadvertent shrine is something you put somewhere because you meant to put it somewhere else but never got around to moving it. With time it becomes a fixture at that locale and eventually the original item is joined by other items. En masse they become an unplanned tableau. These random occurring icons don't get moved because they have been there so long.
I have a shelf where an old Christmas wreath (not organic) a teddy bear and a M.S.U pom-pom have all come to rest. I was moving them about three years ago to a box to go away in the recesses of the attic. However, I got distracted and now they are an established icon. The admixture of these items is odd but it is now part of the environment. I used to think it was just me, but I have been to other peoples homes and notices similar groupings of odd stuff. The above is a sample. I bet you my dear readers have your own accidental idols.
You will note my shrine contains an aluminum plate circa 1960 that says Canada and a couple of Deep South license plates mid 60s vintage along with a bunch of other crap. Yes, the little wood things are representations of my old hometown in the swamps of Jersey.
What am I talking about I hear you musing. Well it is really simple and while it may sound a little odd it is a common occurrence. I have found this happens more often than not. Mostly my research has been anecdotal, that is I have asked my e-friends about whether they too have created accidental shrines and by golly yes they have.
An inadvertent shrine is something you put somewhere because you meant to put it somewhere else but never got around to moving it. With time it becomes a fixture at that locale and eventually the original item is joined by other items. En masse they become an unplanned tableau. These random occurring icons don't get moved because they have been there so long.
I have a shelf where an old Christmas wreath (not organic) a teddy bear and a M.S.U pom-pom have all come to rest. I was moving them about three years ago to a box to go away in the recesses of the attic. However, I got distracted and now they are an established icon. The admixture of these items is odd but it is now part of the environment. I used to think it was just me, but I have been to other peoples homes and notices similar groupings of odd stuff. The above is a sample. I bet you my dear readers have your own accidental idols.
You will note my shrine contains an aluminum plate circa 1960 that says Canada and a couple of Deep South license plates mid 60s vintage along with a bunch of other crap. Yes, the little wood things are representations of my old hometown in the swamps of Jersey.
3 comments:
Gee. Perhaps you should move those plates to your office........in a place of honor, next to the driver licenses you've "collected".
JDB
I have no reason to keep scalps. Some of the other things on the wall there (and this is not the best example of an accidental shrine, I will post others) are a ceramic piece made by a friend some 25 odd years ago, a plate with a Florida map and several other odds and ends of undetermined origin. These itmes are flat however and thus did fit on this series of rails placed in my home by a prior occupant.
I absolutely do have accidental shrines, all over my house, but the one I like the most is my shrine to Johnny Depp. :)
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