Sunday, May 10, 2009

Star Trek & 1960s Design, 15: Space/Spock/Op

[I'd said I was done with my pictorial pondering of Star Trek and Sixties Design, but it seems not.]

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space (link to youTube), tells how, after he parachuted to Earth from his capsule, on April 12, 1961 (I was 5 weeks old), the first people he met were a farmer and her daughter:
"When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!"



"Britannia" (1961), top left, painting by Bridget Riley, whose work was central to 1960s Op Art, the art of optical illusion.

2. Yuri Gagarin in his flight suit, 1961 (wikimedia).

3. Spock's science station, Star Trek episode "Balance of Terror," 1966.

4. Vogue magazine cover, September 1965.

[As always, thanks to Trekcore.com for the Star Trek screencaps.]

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cosmic'ly eye-popping, m'dear! And, in the photo you chose, Yuri looks wistful, heroic and Kirk/Shatner-ishly luscious. Thanks for the historic/celestial eye-candy!
Along the op-art lines, here's one for ya: When did the Spirograph kits come out on the market!? Did you use them when you were growing up? I did.
Saw a smattering of Star Trek movie parody last night on the bits of SNL I watched with "baby" daughter, who was lovin' her mama despite the full moon. Nimoy made a pointed remark about those who dis the current flick.
I so enjoyed our time together yesterday and to top it off, was able to get home on the two buses within seconds of my 24 hour bus pass expiring--(I'd bought it on Friday at 4: 19 p. m.!)--ahhh, the luck of the newly unemployed!
Plus, I did find my poetry in time to do the open mike at the Color Wheel Gallery! The night was a buzz, too!
Peace & Love!

Stefalala

Fresca said...

Great question, Stef--it'd actually just occurred to me that I should look at '60s toys.

And guess what--Spirographs were first sold in the USA in 1966, the first year of ST. I was crazy about mine, at least for about a week.

Yeah, Yuri is so airbrushed in this pic, he could make the cover of Vogue.