Post #342866 by ikitnrev on Thu, Nov 8, 2007 9:43 PM

I think Koolau used the right term to describe the Witco furniture - much of it is quite brutish. It doesn't have a crisp, clean, thin metal, open air, Neutra-ish look. Instead it is bulky, heavy, stable, earth-bound, and tends to invoke memories of matadors and the Spanish Inquisition, which nobody really expects when thinking about tiki.

When I think of the late 50's/early 60's core era of Polynesian Pop, I tend to think of the earlier, floor-to-ceiling glass walls and Googie inspired architecture, influnced by Sputnik and the space-age. When I look at Witco furniture, I tend to think of the 1970's, when the prime era of tiki was beginning to fade away. Although Graceland may have Witco in the Jungle Room, it brings to me association of the Fat Elvis and personal comfort era, rather than the earlier era when Elvis was more refreshing/revolutionary.

When I think of Witco in a tiki bar, like the Hala Kahiki, I think of dark spaces, where the wooden Witco carvings are somewhat in the background - a warm protective presence, but yet perhaps a little bit dangerous - you must give it your respect in order to feel safe and enjoy the comfort of the place. Bring it forward into the light, and into the center of your attention, and it might frighten too many people away.

There are Witco pieces that transcend the above stereotypes, and Chapter 13 of Tiki Modern, titled 'Witco Modern', is an example of this (and also the color pictures on pages 175, 189, and 204). When I turned through those pages, I saw Witco in a different light. It is these pieces of Witco that I like the most - they are light, not heavy, and the grain of the wood adds an element of earthy texture to what may have otherwise been a too cold and sterile piece of art.

So Witco falls tangently into the tiki scene for me. Yes, much of the work reminds me of other well-carved pieces of tiki art. Yes, I can easily picture Witco in a dark, window-less, atmospheric tiki room. And these are reasons to appreciate Witco in the tiki community with welcome arms.

But when I think of a scale/spectrum that has on one end the tall, skinny 1950's influenced figures of a Shag painting, and thick, 1970's Shag carpeting on the other end, I tend to associate Witco with being on the latter end.

Another analogy might be your aunt (or for the younger ones here, your grandmother) who was a very beautiful, stylish woman in her late teens/twenties during the 1950's, but 20-30 years later has gained some weight, has a few wrinkles, and wears leopard prints like Mrs Robinson did in order to feel exciting, exotic, and capture male eyes. Both versions are worthy of attention, but our culture tends to focus on the younger and what is new ... but only those who are more enlightened can fully understand the seductive charms of both Mrs Robinson and Witco.

As to the sale of Witco on e-bay, I think U.S. culture might be still in its retro, 1950's, clean looks and crisp lines phase. It may take a while for the pendulem of taste to swing the other way.

Vern