On...the...subject...of....…art

Did you watch Star Trek when you were a kid? Did it have significance for you? It did for me. Curiously enough it was kind of an antidote for the Flintstones in more ways than being at the opposite end of the timeline.

In 1969 I was seven - in Miss May's class at Mt Eden Normal Primary School. I remember ordering my first Scholastic book (remember ordering books from a catalog then they would arrive at school and be distributed to everyone like it was Christmas and the teacher was Santa Claus?) - it was about travelling to the moon. Why the travellers were portrayed as children I don't know. Maybe they embodied the spirit of the era - everything was possible with the addition of some science, technology and imagination.

Star Trek was important because it promised to tell stories of where no (man) has gone before. There may well have been all sorts of sub-texts that grown ups got but I just like the space monsters, Spock's ears and the idea of setting one's 'phaser to stun'. I used to like the end credits because (if I remember right) there was a montage of some of the juicier aliens which always seemed more believable to me than Dr Who whose el cheapo Daleks - though I confess the Cybermen scared the snot out of me.

Though I'm not a Star Trek aficionado - I think I saw one of the big screen movies but the moment had passed - I enjoy watching William Shatner play Denny Crane in Boston Legal. Shatner obviously has no issues with self parody. That should be instructional for us all.

If you like Star Trek or illustration/art/design check out this exhibition of works inspired by William Shatner - a tribute show. Some funky stuff - some of which can be purchased at quite moderate prices.

Beam me up Scotty

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