The Liberation of the Doorknob

Recently, I encountered Walter Benjamin's essay on technology and representation. Benjamin is trying to reconcile ideas of mass representation (as well as mass production) with notions about 'aura.' For Benjamin, aura is something that is present at the moment of creation within a piece of art and is intrinsically and inherently tied to it for the rest of its life. The issue that he sees in an age of mass reproduction and representation is that our mechanized and instantaneous media for remediation upon a piece of art subtracts from its value. Thus he sees that modern modes of representation play a dichotomous role within the work of art: our interaction with the newly remediated representation of art stands distinct from the aura of the original work of art.

I start with this as a departure point from which I think architectural salvage is connected. As I was sorting through bins of hardware the other day, I found at the bottom of a rusted bucket of ball-tip hinges a singular idiosyncrasy towards the bottom: an Eastlake doorknob. The patina-coated brass immediately jumped out at me as my eyes traced the organic aesthetics of the patterning, following the flower design and asymmetrical engravings of the doorknob. As I held it, Benjamin's notion of aura slipped into my mind. The doorknob was a piece of art; its cast decoration standing apart from the mere utility of opening a door. But while this was true, at the same time, the doorknob was a testimony to the machine that was the focal point of the Victorian era. Intricate patterning and ordering was the status quo of the day. If there were to exist Benjamin's notion of an authentic aura anywhere within the doorknob, it was not in the doorknob itself (the tangible representation of the art that I was holding in my hand), but rather it existed within some sort of original mold that had long ago fallen victim of rust, decay, neglect, and other incidental qualities that attach themselves to the incessant march of time. But unlike a print of say a painting, in which we see through the layers of remediation and can more accessibly discern the supposed original aura, the recontextualization of the doorknob within in its juxtaposition of, not only being in the bottom of a rusted bucket of hinges, but also of being in a salvage yard itself, changes the value of the aura of the doorknob all together.

Architectural salvage redefines the value of the items that we collect. Removing the objects from their uniform utility allows for a level of removal that creates a redistribution of aura within the object (I posit the word 'uniform' here in the sense that houses traditionally keep a uniform aesthetic continuity, i.e. a house will usually have all single panel doors, or a kitchen will have cabinet pulls/knobs that are all of the same design). Walking through the salvage yard we are able to transverse through layers and layers of thought, history, design, etc... in the blinking of an eye. We can move from the heavy, geometric beats of Art Deco to the fluidity of Art Nouveau just by following the lines in a light fixture. Instead of their existing a linearity in the infusing of aura (that is to say, the aura exists in the original casting of say a doorplate and is then redistributed through each secondary casting and remains in the object throughout its lifetime within the house), the objects here instead exist in a continuum of aura. Each object in its idiosyncratic existence at the salvage yard becomes complete in and of itself.

Architectural salvage yards allow for this new ascriptive existence: a removal from utility and conformity leads into a new ascription of aura within the individual object. Instead of trying to negotiate with the layers of distance we stand from the original, we encounter the objects as discrete and complete entities unto themselves. With this in mind, we can see how architectural salvage allows for an aesthetic liberation: there isn’t the hierarchal obligations that we attach to utility (by this, I again, return to the aesthetic uniform continuity that I suggested before), but rather we see each object as being an open canvas upon which we can inscribe new meanings and new contexts that will allow for a new aura to be created. The four-panel door from a Victorian is reshaped into a table, the doorknob is turned into a coat hook, the multi-light window becomes a mirror, ad infinitum. Architectural salvage is a tangible embodiment of what Ezra Pound said of literature, that we must always, “Make it new.”

Architectural salvage removes us from Benjamin’s notion of a stable and linear aura, a notion that is perhaps antiquated in its nostalgia. These may have stemmed from Benjamin’s own worries as he watched the modes of artistic representation deviate away from the personal and private and into the realm of the mass public. But unlike the negative connotations that Benjamin thinks this shift from private to public sees, architectural salvage acts as a stepping stone that is in fact positive. It removes objects from the private (the original building) into the public (the yard) and returns them back to the private (the new home). In this fluid transition a new aura is infused, an aura that is not tied to the intangible and highly subjective notion that Benjamin suggests is genesis for aura. In effect it creates both a public and a personal aura: the public being the history of the piece of salvage, the private being the personal utilization of the object. This liberation is analogous to Wittgenstein’s ideas about language: if language were private, it wouldn’t mean anything at all. Architectural salvage creates a public dialogue both with the history of the items we salvage and the people who purchase them. This plural and open-ended relationship is a democratization of architecture and should be something that we at Ohmega fully embrace.

By Henry Lacey Ivry

"The Key To Our Success"

I am often asked who are our most frequent customers. I almost always answer "Homeowners". It is simple and to the point. I was thinking about this as I was sitting down to write the latest blog. It occurred to me that I could even distill that answer down to a more basic, yet essential, ingredient. Our most frequent customers are "Moms". Now, those of you who are now crying foul about opportunistic blogging on the eve of Mother's Day, well, o.k. I will give you a point on that one. And those of you suspecting a desperate attempt to cure writer's block, well, a point there as well. Still, it does not diminish or change the truth. Moms are the single largest influence on our business. We live in houses to be sure, but it is all of those "Mom's" touches that makes the house the home we all look for refuge in. Mothers may not always be the ones making the choices of the items that make up the home but it is sure that their influence is always considered in that choice whether it is conscious or not. It is their appreciation of the history of the items we have. That "lived in" quality that the items have gained as they spent their time with other families and now, hopefully, may join their families. So I am going take time to thank all the mothers out there for helping us to find good, new, homes for the items we have. I and Ohmega Salvage very much appreciate it.
Steve Smith

"A Bigger Tent"

Last weeks blog got me to thinking about all of my recent conversations with Ohmega's old friends. They ask me, as always, what's new? I have been telling them about this blog. Now, while most all of our customers are "on-line" to some degree most are not the blogger, or twitter types. And, of course, till just lately I would have been on that list as well. So once I tell them about the blog the next question most frequently asked me is "Why?" I have been trying to put it in terms of staying current, and all the other logical reasons. The trouble is that I never felt that I captured the real value of it. Ohmega Salvage brings the items of our past back into circulation to create a new future. Most of our customer have had some direct connection to these treasures. Either it was in their house growing up or in their grandparents house growing up, etc., etc. As we have gotten older an come more into the future those direct connections get fewer and fewer. Ohmega found itself being challenged to find other ways to connect to those who might not know about the treasures we have and who we are. Starting a number of years back we stated to do the newly formed "Green" events. While we had been doing "Green" for decades, we none-the-less wanted to meet these like minded folks. Ohmega always likes to look our best. When we went to the events we decked out a tent to look like a antique room. That tent was always a big hit and attention getter. We got to meet a lot of new folks face to face - old school. The tent was a lot of work but it was worth it to bring in new folks to the re-use fold. Still we were always limited to being in the same physical space as our guests and we found we couldn't always be there. And so here we are in Cyberspace with our biggest tent yet and this one never closes. A tent that can been seen by all ages and in different countries so that they may see the relevence we may have in their lives today and in the days ahead. "Why?", they asked. Well, damm, we needed a bigger tent!
Steve Smith

"With Old Things Comes Old Friends"

Ohmega has been around for quite some time now. With that longevity comes the opportunity to meet some pretty interesting folks. It is one of the great pleasures of working here. On any given day, the mix of people you are likely to encounter coupled with our Berkeley, CA location might cause the uninitiated person's head to spin. Whether it is a customer, a neighbor, a scavenger, another business owner, or one of our vendors, it runs the gamut of profiles and experiences. You might even run into the occasional famous person. Who?, you might ask? Well you'll have to come down here yourself to find out. This is what America should be: a broad cross section of folks who come here to experience the history and variety that is us. Today it was one of our vendors and old friends. Dave Bertz is the one responsible for our having our popular collection of statues and Buddhas. An old time antiques hound and a full time character. He has been traveling to far away places and bringing things back for us for a long time. His wicked, and often bawdy, sense of humour means that you will be laughing a good part of your time with him. That is, of course, when you are not groaning at some of his jokes. He comes from quite a distance to get to us and lately, with the economy, his visits have become rare. So, today, it was good to see him, a old friend, and get some cool new statues & stuff and laugh some of the recession away. So to all of our old friends out there and the new ones on their way to becoming an old friend, come on down and say "Hi" it is always good to see you!
Steve Smith

Lasting First Impressions

Friday is the first day of my work week. As I first walk through the gates in the morning I get to experience what has come in while I was gone. Since we are open 7 days a week I can't be there for everything as it comes though the gates. Even after working all of these years here it is still a favorite time of mine. It comes closest to what, I imagine, is a lot of our customers reactions to when they come through the gates. Maybe it is the first time ever or maybe it has only been since yesterday there is almost always something new. It is when the items we have taken in start to tell you their stories. The time when an item starts to become a treasure in your mind. How is this possible you might ask? Well I believe that the time, energy, care, and even passion that were expended in making the architectural pieces and other items we take in leaves a lasting impression. It is there for all to see if we only give it a chance to be seen. That's why we are here to give you folks out there a chance to be impressed. So on Friday morning I get to be greeted by the new items and start to hear the stories. You know, I'll tell you, after more that 30 years in the building trades I am still impressed. So, next time your in the neighborhood come on by. There some history here you just might like.
Steve Smith

"A Room With a View"

With apologies to E. M. Forster and the Merchant/Ivory film it is the only appropriate title for this week's blog. The Ohmega crew spent this last week in the rarefied air on the 52ND floor of the Bank of America building in San Francisco. Those of you in the know recognize that location as the former Carnelian Room restaurant and bar. Opened in August, 1970 and named for the Carnelian Granite that adorns the 555 California Street building. This restaurant was old school fancy. You did not show up with out a reservation and a jacket for the "Gentleman". Jeans and sneakers just would not do. Hey, "old school" is our stock and trade so you know we just had to go get this stuff. So we made our reservations with general contractor, who kindly relaxed the dress code, and off we went. This place was big. There was all of this tall carved oak paneling and doors. Then there was a couple of big wine racks and trim and miscellaneous other items and......well....only one working freight elevator and our truck a mere 520+ feet below us. Hey, no problem, right??? How big was that elevator???? So we set about removing and cutting down the panels to fit into the elevator. It is rare that we spend more than a week on a job doing removals but you start to get the idea. It is some pretty nice stuff though. Come on down to Ohmega Salvage and check it out. We promise you that the "Gentlemen" won't need a jacket and, "Ladies," you will be just fine in your jeans.
Steve Smith

Spring Fever.....Hayfever counts, Right???

The sun has been out quite a bit lately. All of us at Ohmega have been adjusting to the new longer hours to match the new longer days. Then there's the sneezing and itching eyes. Is it just me?.....umm never mind. We have quite a bit to do around here when the weather starts to turn for the better. Just like the rest of you we do some spring cleaning around here. Late Spring, Summer, and early Fall are our busiest times here at Ohmega. As I was writing last week, we are always having to make room for new things. Spring increases the pace. With the Spring also comes a certain anticipation as well. We begin to get e-mails, calls and visitors asking about our services and can we help them with their projects coming up. We hope to get a feel on how the building season might shape up. We start to build our hopes as it has been a long Winter and a slow economy. All of us "Ohmegans" are optimists I think. When I say "Ohmegans" I include all of our customers and contractors and scavengers not just our employees. It takes an optimist to see potential in something that others just wish to be rid of, thrown away. To anticipate the pride and satisfaction when that item is brought back to life and incorporated into something new. So here is to hope and to sunshine and longer days. May they find us with a new prosperity. And one more thing.....pass the Kleenex.
Steve Smith