In these testing times with the likes of Korean dictators over-compensating with missile threats, humour is the order of the day. Raygun Gothic and Dingbats, as a 50′s and 60′s architectural style, had a connection to missiles, as the ray-guns had a missile shape and some of the Dingbat features looked like atoms.
The term “Raygun Gothic” was coined by science fiction author William Gibson (who also coined the term “cyberspace” and created the cyberpunk genre) in his short story “The Gernsback Continuum” (1981). Techno-noir* aptly described it as ” retro futurism ” As a style, Raygun Gothic is seen in comics such as Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers and old sci-fi movies such as Metropolis and Forbidden Planet. Mad scientists in huge labs, industrial landscapes, advanced weaponry such as rayguns, rockets and robots. A vintage Sci-Fi look born from a merging of Art Deco and Streamline Moderne.
Tuscon Raygun Gothic
( Woodland Shoppers Paradise Blogspot )
Mecca Cafe by Alain Lucier
Neon Outdoor Theatre Sign – Jefferson, USA
( waymarking.com-nneuman )
Most of the architecture styles have been represented in the ceramic arts. Classical, Baroque, Nouveau, Deco, Abstract expressionism, Modernist all had brilliant interpretations that helped to popularise the forms. However both Dingbat and Raygun Gothic have been generally ignored. Granted, they were fairly offbeat styles that didn’t really attract the same mass appeal.
I decided to go and search for some examples of this obscure style in ceramics, and I must admit it was a challenge. Even Google search was at sea. Dingbats and Raygun Gothic are connected to Googie Architecture, which had a tendency to be flashy and audacious. The original coffee shop known as Googie’s, which gave the movement its name, was designed by John Lautner and opened on LA’s Sunset Strip in 1949.
I only managed to find a few ceramic pieces that faithfully reflected the style , but earlier temple forms of the style came up which widened the scope. I also took the licence to include ray like decorative styles as a representation. I will add more examples in when they turn up.
Raygun Gothic Prophetic
3 ceramic jars - Neil Patterson
Grundtvig’s Church – Copenhagen, Denmark
Expressionist architecture with a touch of the Raygun Gothic
Loetz vase
( Treadway Toomeys )
Pair of tall Spainish pottery vases
( 1stdibs )
Amphora peace missile
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain
Florero Vase
Austrian artist Franz West sculpture
Cincinatti organic Raygun Gothic
Susan Anderson
Dale Chihuly – Cadmium Red Venetian with Blue Rings
Crapi Apartments – Dingbat architecture – Los Angeles
Durand vase
Archimede’s burning raygun
Planet Express Ship – Raygun Gothic
Typical Dingbat starburst wall feature
Rectangular ceramic vase
Australian Aboriginal ceramic plate
( Raygun Gothic sea turtle ? )
Lingaraj temple complex
Philip Baldwin & Monica Guggisberg
L.C-Tiffany humidor
Raygun coffee cup
Righteous Bison Indivisible Particle Smasher Ray Gun
A porcelain raygun by Clay Engineer Jeanette Harris.
Robj
Jazz musician Sun Ra
Coffee pot roundabout – Doha
The Singing Ringing Tree in Yorkshire
Iceland church
Two-X-Two - Sylvia Nagy
The funnel vase – Innes Olshansky
Modernist blunderbuss raygun.
Shewadon Pagoda – Yangon
Scheurich vase 1960′s
Phoenix observation tower – Arizona
Planned for 2015 ( Raygun Gothic resurrection )
You Blew Me Away by Penny Hardy
Abstract wall plate – Rucni Rad 1970
Michael M Glancy – Golden Ascension
Red rocket lamp
( custommade.com)
Dale Chihuly Glass
Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Kring Kumho Culture Complex
( with attachable lenses )
Eileen Gray floor lamp - 1923
Collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Large Flamenco Vase - Thomas Kelly
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*Sources cited : http://techno-noir.jedi-hobbit.net/scifi/raygun.php
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Ceramicist’s shun Dingbats and Raygun Gothic is a post from: Ceramics & Pottery Arts & Resources
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