Uploaded on May 29, 2009

This movie is composed of footage shot at San Francisco’s Museum Mechanique when it was housed near the Cliffhouse restaurant at Ocean Beach. Depicted are video explorations of turn of the 20th century (in a movie, ironically made at the turn of the 21st century) clockwork curiosities, automated orchestras and mechanized dioramas as well as early moving picture players that typically cost the unheard of price of a nickle. Five cents being very expensive in modern day terms. The players typically showed a baudy 30 second story told mechanically by shuffling actual still photographs as keyframes.

Drop your nickle, turn the crank and away you go.

This movie is made in the spirit of the curiosities it depicts and juxtaposes their image to form yet another thing. Something new from the recapitulation of something old.