Meet Joseph Pickard, a London-based design editor (for Phaidon) who uses his Instagram account (@josephowen) to showcase his photography sideline. His images, captured around London and on his international trips, are typified by a faded filter, and simple subject matter. He has long been one of our favourite accounts on Instagram, and the quality of his images is reflected in his growing fan base – with a current follower count of 14K. Today marks the start of a special collaboration, where Pickard will share special moments with AnOther alongside a selection of our favourite facts relating to the subject.
Courtesy of @josephowen
1. Families tend to have a signature knock; secret societies might opt for a coded rhythm. Yet one percussive pattern has become so universally ubiquitous, that it has actually been given a name: ‘Shave and a Haircut – Two Bits’. It takes the form, ‘tap-taptap-tap-tap (pause) tap-tap’.
Courtesy of @josephowen
2. Janus, the Roman God of transitions, beginnings and endings, thereby became known as the keeper of doors and gateways. In art and literature, he is depicted with two faces, representing his omniscient vigilance. It is said that, in times of war, the doors to his temple would remain open; when peace fell, they would close.
Courtesy of @josephowen
3. Formed in 1965 by Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek, The Doors got their name from a book by Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception. Morrison himself made several references to the philosophical symbolism of doors, once saying: “There are things known and things unknown, and between are the doors."
Courtesy of @josephowen
4. Following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, the Irish were ordered to paint their front door black as a sign of national mourning. In protest, they opted instead for a vibrant palette.
Courtesy of @josephowen
5. The largest doors of all time open the entry bays for NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center. At 456 feet tall, each one is over 15 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty and takes a total of 45 minutes to fully open or close.
