Weekend pop art: The world really is a Wes Anderson film after all

(image via Instragram (c) Accidentally Wes Anderson)

Who hasn’t wished at one time or another (usually a stultifyingly bland and boring time or another) for the world to be a little more magical or whimsical or quirky?

All of us have, bar those who like things neatly and solidly utilitarian, which is probably why the films of Wes Anderson have found some ensuring, fervent favour among audiences the world over.

Possessed of a uniquely sweet and colourful aesthetic that feels like a fairytale wrapped inside a cartoon and folded into a vibrantly offbeat dream, Anderson’s films may feel like they are the furthest things from real life you could hope to find (though they often deal with some real, substantial issues).

Enter Accidentally Wes Anderson, an Instagram account which displays photos taken across the world which bolster the idea that Wes Anderson and the outside world have more in common than previously thought as Laughing Squid observes:

“Like the films, each site is distinctly colorful, geometric and tends towards the symmetrical mid-20th century ethos.”

It’s worth taking a trip through this most wonderful of accounts, both for the gorgeous pics but also to be reminded that the world can actually be more magical and happily Wes Anderson-ish than you might imagine.

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________________________ Tender Buttons | New York, New York | c. 1964 • Sometimes there’s no telling where a lunch break will lead you. For Diana Epstein, a New York book editor, her midday meander in the 1960s led her to a button shop on East 77th Street and unknowingly to a 34-year career in the button business. Soon after her button search, Epstein founded Tender Buttons – the eclectic shop dedicated exclusively to buttons of all shapes, sizes, and designs • On the day Epstein set out to find some new buttons, she was an accomplished career woman with the inkling that the editorial world might not be for her. When she made it to the button shop, she discovered that the owner had passed away and the store was closed. On a whim, she purchased the shop — along with its entire inventory of buttons dating back to the 1930s • Weeks later, a young antiques restorer, Millicent Safro, stopped by the shop and a partnership quickly blossomed between the two. The women went into business together, naming the shop Tender Buttons after the 1914 Gertrude Stein book of the same name. Within four years, they relocated to their current address at ​143 East 62d Street • Buttons of all varieties filled the store. So too did celebrities. The shop became so popular that many actors, writers, and fashion designers were counted as regulars. Epstein soon wove her love of books with her love of buttons when she published three books on the subject, the first aptly titled “Buttons”, co-written by Safro • Epstein passed away in 1998, but Safro continued to carry on their passion for buttons until the shop closed in September. Their love of the little creations lives on in the pages of their books, their customers, and the memory of their charming button shop on the East Side • Know more? Please comment below! • ?: @messynessychic ?: “Don’t be a Tourist in New York” by @messynessychic • ✍: @kelly.murray ?: @wikipedia + @nytimes + idiosyncraticfashionistas.blogspot.com • #AccidentallyWesAnderson​ ​#AccidentalWesAnderson​ ​#WesAnderson​ ​#VscoArchitecture​ #Archigram #Symmetrical #TravelCommunity #Thebigapple #NYCgo #NewYorkCity #UpperEastSide #UES #ButtonShop

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________________________ Tsereteli Station | Tbilisi, Georgia | c.1979 • In Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, miles of transit rail wind beneath the city streets connecting metro stations bearing vivid interiors. One such station, Tsereteli Station, located on the Saburtalo Line that extends to the western residential districts of the city boasts bright blue ceilings and bears the name of one of the country’s most revered poets, ​Akaki Tsereteli • Opened in 1979, Tsereteli Station is part of the Tbilisi Metro, the first and only metro system in Georgia and the fourth metro of the former Soviet Union. Tbilisi was considered one of the most important cities at the height of the USSR due to its position in the Caucasus as well as its influence as a cultural and political center. It grew rapidly during the 20th century and turned into a transportation hub • The transit system expanded into a two line, 23 station network until the 1990s when financial constraints following the breakup of the Soviet Union stifled infrastructure. Due to lack of electricity, the Metro usually was out of service. As the region recovered from the collapse, the stations saw a rise in crime until 2004 when security and administration reforms restored order to the railways • The Tbilisi Metro is currently undergoing a major rehabilitation effort with the modernization of its many stations and trains. The Georgian government has dedicated efforts to elevate the Metro to European standards and transform it into a more prestigious public transport system. As of 2018, the Metro is expanding to support seven new stations and will form a new line connecting central Tbilisi to the city’s suburbs and airport • Know more? Please comment below! • ?: @every_destination_wedding ✍: @kelly.murray ?: @wikipedia • #AccidentallyWesAnderson​ ​#AccidentalWesAnderson​ ​#WesAnderson​ ​#VscoArchitecture​ #Archigram #Symmetrical #TravelCommunity #Tiblisiphoto #Tiblisi #Archilover #PublicTransit #Georgia??

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_____________________ Fulda City Palace | Fulda, Germany | c. 1714 • Now a seat of the city administration, the Fulda City Palace offers a glimpse into the former world of absolutism – when the wealth and authority of a state lay in the hands of a sole monarch. At the time of the Palace’s construction, the monarch Prince Abbot Adalbert von Schleifras had presided over Fulda for 14 years and had a major hand in bringing Baroque architecture to the region • In the early 18th century, Abbot von Schleifras commissioned master builder and architect ​Johann Dientzenhofer to construct a new castle in the Baroque style on the existing castle complex whose structure dated back to the 13th century. As part of his expansion, he added a four-wing complex with two side wings that enclosed a courtyard • The first foundation stone was laid in 1708 and five years later, the castle’s exterior was complete. However, the Interior work continued. Abbot von ​Schleifras passed away the year the palace was near completion – stalling the interior finishes for another four years • By 1730, the Palace was the glamorous centerpiece of Fulda and home to the city’s prince-electors & bishops. Inside, its halls made way to magnificent rooms filled with mirrors, paintings, and covered top to bottom in ornate wallpaper. A particularly lavish room is the Hall of Mirrors, the former dressing room of the prince which is covered in one hundred small and large mirrors • With many rooms restored to their original condition, visitors can explore the Palace and take in its many lavish works of art ranging from portrait paintings to porcelain manufactured in Fulda’s factories. The Palace also includes an exhibit commemorating Fulda native and ​scientist Ferdinand Braun who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909 • Know more? Please comment below! • ?: @schmurkov ✍: @kelly.murray ?: @wikipedia + tourismus-fulda.de • #AccidentallyWesAnderson #Archigram #AccidentalWesAnderson #WesAnderson #VscoArchitecture #Vscotravel #GermanyTourism #TravelGermany #Pursuewhatislovely #Fulda #WeroamGermany #Visitgermany

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_____________________ Arsenal Bowl | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | c. 1938 • While many of the buildings in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood have evolved over the decades, the beloved Arsenal Bowl bowling alley has remained a steadfast staple of recreation and entertainment in the area. Arsenal Bowl has been in continuous operation since 1938 • The twenty-two lane bowling alley is located on the second floor of its building in a block owned by Paul Buncher who purchased the property in 1988. Buncher opted to restore the buildings to resemble how they looked back in the 1930s and 40s when Arsenal Bowl first opened • Lawrenceville, located northeast of downtown, is one of the largest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. Like many of the city’s riverfront neighborhoods, its history is steeped in industrialism. Founded in 1814, it was selected to house the Allegheny Arsenal – the supply and manufacturing center for the Union Army during the American Civil War • During the height of the War, Allegheny Arsenal supplied cartridges until an unexpected explosion on September 17, 1862. The blast was so powerful that it shattered windows in the surrounding community and was heard in Pittsburgh which at the time was over two miles away. It’s considered the single largest civilian disaster of the War • Although Arsenal Bowl bears its name from the fateful Allegheny Arsenal, it creates a much different type of spark in the neighborhood. A popular nighttime spot, Arsenal Bowl still offers bowling along with dancing, DJs, and live musical entertainment • Know more? Please comment below! • ?: @djhacin ✍: @kelly.murray ?: @wikipedia + @nextpittsburgh + @discovertheburgh • #AccidentallyWesAnderson​ ​#AccidentalWesAnderson​ ​#WesAnderson​ ​#VscoArchitecture​ ​#Vscotravel #412 #PittsburghPA #PGH #Lawrenceville #Steelcitygrammers #ArsenalBowl

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