Belle Geddes Midway Dioramas

[mirth]

This is very cool:

http://www.flightjournal.com/blog/2012/04/03/belle-geddes/


And if you're not already familiar with Norman Belle Geddes:

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671546/rediscovering-norman-bel-geddes-the-visionary-who-laid-out-americas-future

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Bel_Geddes

[skeptical.platypus]

Wait a minute. Are the photos in that link photos of the diorama? Like including the one of Sand Island?

[mirth]

Yep. Pretty wild, ain't it?

[DoctorQuest]

I first saw these in the Time/Life Epic of Flight book "The Carrier War". The idea was to convey to the folks back home what the battle looked like but with the realization that no one could have been in all the right places at the right times to get good photos. It is impressive modeling work.

I have seen some of the models used by the AAF to help with target location during WWII. Incredible amount of detail in a tabletop space.

Good stuff mirth!

[skeptical.platypus]

Yep. Pretty wild, ain't it?

That doesn't begin to describe it. I don't think I would ever look at least the Sands Island picture and not think it was actual without someone telling me it's not real.

I'm curious, do these photos trigger "uncanny valley" for anyone? I'm aware of the concept, but wondered if I'm susceptible. I've never seen anything that strikes me as "uncannily" or "uncomfortably" fake real (unless you count Alien Bishop's milky blood and intestines. That still sort of freaks me out).

Since these photos are so realistic to me I couldn't tell the difference, I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing, like the uncanny valley.

[Staggerwing]

I think the 'Uncanny Valley' effect is more appropriate to impressions of anthropomorphic phenomena, such as androids, than models of ships and islands.

[skeptical.platypus]

I think the 'Uncanny Valley' effect is more appropriate to impressions of anthropomorphic phenomena, such as androids, than models of ships and islands.

Now that you mention it, I've heard that too.

Regardless, thanks much to mirth and belle geddes. It's seldom you get to have your preconceptions yanked slightly askew in such a cool way!

[GDS_Starfury]

man... to play some games on this!

[GDS_Starfury]

google his Futurama work.   :o

[GDS_Starfury]

this model:



is this fucking big!

[GDS_Starfury]

no... not the same work but still. 

[skeptical.platypus]

^Wow. Just wow.

That Futurama city is bigger than any metropolis I've achieved in simcity.

(I gotta say tho, some of his work hasn't aged quite as well as others. Futurama looks practically animated now -- at least to me.)