Objects, furniture and people from other times or countries are exotic. They carry a flavour of the strange and mysterious. Scenes painted by artists carry some of that individual's imagination to the viewer.
Postcards are an accessible way of catching this exciting mixture, and of using it to create a fantasy of one's own. One way of doing this is to make a peep box.
Materials
- Selection of postcards to use whole, or to cut images from
- Shoe box
- Tracing paper or coloured tissue paper
- Scissors
- Sellotape
- Glue
Instructions
1. Remove the lid and cut a peephole to look through at one end of the box. Cut one or two small windows out of each side (about three cm square), not directly opposite each other.
2. Cut three windows out of the lid, one very near one end.
3. Place a postcard at the end of the box opposite the peephole.
4. Cut shapes out of other cards to add at the sides. When cutting, include a margin at one side, to fold at right angles and glue to the peep box side.
5. Cut out figures to add interest. Fix an extra strip of card onto the back, with a base tab that folds at right angles to stick to the bottom of the box.
6. When everything is in place, place the lid on top, with the end window farthest away from the peephole. Adjust the lighting by covering the lid and side windows with a book or hand to find the right level. Block windows that you are not using with black sugar paper. Then cover the rest with tracing paper, which will diffuse the light. To create different atmospheres, use coloured tissue paper over the windows.
To create a feeling of distance, insert a spyglass, normally used for security on front doors, into the peephole.
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