This sort of decorating reminds me very much of the late 60’s/early 70’s, which of course is what this latest “retro” movement is built upon. I lived that time, not only as a man and an artist, but a young adult facing all that era offered (and shoved into our faces).

Its decor was a total mix of old and new styles. It was an historical mish-mash, which gave birth to the label “post-modern”. Pick up any decor magazine or book from that phase – it’s all you’ll see. We no longer knew what we wanted or where to go to get it.

Decor is NOT accidental. It grows from the Zeitgeist of a culture, and only from there does the market and the public turn it into a commodity and fashion statement. So what was going on, and what does it tell us about NOW as well? (Let’s not pretend every era is truly unique. If you read your history, you’ll see we move in cycles… again and again.)

The late 60’s/early 70’s saw the growth, morph, and collapse of many idealistic social movements. It was the time of Viet Nam – death in the streets and death in foreign jungles. It was the time of governmental lying, hopeful leaders were being killed faster than we could mourn, faction fighting faction, artists were dying of overdoses so often you tried to make every concert because you ASSUMED this would be their LAST, everyone thinking they had the ONLY answer, and an economy falling apart on all of us. It was also a time when “we” landed on the Moon, found cures to diseases, helped minorities gain a little more respect, forced Viet Nam to cease and Nixon to resign. This was a heady, but generally ugly time. Just look at the clothing fashions, if you can’t look any deeper.

Why did this happen? Society was in upheaval. Everyone – EVERYONE – was insecure. Let me say that again: EVERY ONE. Everyone wanted to reach back into the “glorious” Past and into the “glorious” Future – and please God, let us AVOID the lousy present. It’s the only thing that can explain Disco.

Now to our present…

We don’t care about the Moon, our economy is in the tank, we have incurable diseases, we’re in Viet Nam, oops, I mean Iraqistan, we’re being lied to as usual, and, well, why repeat myself? It’s 35-40 years later, and the cycle is here again. We are as insecure about life now as we were then. If the MILITARY DRAFT were to be reinstituted, you’d have a nearly identical environment.

This is the energy underlying what you see these daze. Look around with cool eyes. Think about it. Is it a good thing? Is it a bad thing? Understanding it won’t hurt.

Ronn Ives
Owner of FUTURES Antiques