Permanent Revolution
April 21, 2003 1:47 AM Subscribe
Permanent Revolution It's a little Ph'D in tone, but it's a great topic: the history and significance of the revolving door. References everyone from Elmer Fudd to Kingsley Amis, Rem Koolhaas to King Vidor. One man invented them: Theophilus Van Kannel (of Philadelphia). Bizarre personal fact: my home county in Scotland makes bulletproof revolving doors. Ever had your revolutionary moment?
That was worth it for two phrases, at least, in the first-linked essay: This curbside dispensary of womankind, and the mortal portal. I certainly would not have initially imagined one could get so much out of the social construction of just one particular type of building doorway. I find it interesting that the door continues to evolve (as well as revolve): modern accoutrements such as bulletproof glass, as well as the seemingly contradictory security-card activated revolving door (utterly trashing Van Kammel's streams of humanity), and the perhaps just-as-fascinating supersize automatically revolving door often found in hospitals (one was seen in Eyes Wide Shut, an ironically topical moment of reality in a film riddled with anachronisms by the long-expatriate Kubrick). After a lifetime of having to shove one's way through the "coffin-sized" door, these spacious siblings, which not only seem to part ahead of you but creep up on you in back, bring the experience to a new level.
posted by dhartung at 11:05 AM on April 21, 2003
posted by dhartung at 11:05 AM on April 21, 2003
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posted by theplayethic at 1:50 AM on April 21, 2003