This summer has seen the world come to London, converging from all corners of the world to watch Olympics and Paralympic athletes perform extraordinary feats of sportsmanship.
This summer has seen the world come to London, converging from all corners of the globe to watch Olympics and Paralympic athletes perform extraordinary feats of sportsmanship. Indisputably inspiring stuff, yet the sight of this beautiful Flying House on the AnOther Loves stream is perhaps a representation of a slight modicum of ennui, with many people tempted to pick up their homes and families and fly off somewhere far away from the crowds.
The flying house as a cinematic motif has cropped up at a different junctures in history. In 1921, cartoonist Winsor McKay made an exquisite animation of The Flying House, a story from his series, Dream of a Rarebit Fiend. A commentary on the contrast between rapid urbanisation and continuing post-WW1 economic depression, a woman’s ill-advised gorging on Welsh Rarebit before bedtime leads to a dream where her husband fixes an engine and propeller to their house, and flies it away to escape their landlord’s eviction threats. In 2009’s Up, the mode of lift is thousands of brightly coloured balloons, used by the elderly widower Carl Frederickson to escape the shackles of his mundane suburban life and make a exploratory voyage to South America. In this image by Laurent Chehere, both the flying propulsion and destination are unclear, yet there is still that joyous confluence between anarchic freedom and all the security of one’s home comforts.
As the house flies high on AnOther Loves, here we speak to its Lover, AnOther Magazine editor Nancy Waters about the most important things in her own home, and her destination of choice should her house develop itchy foundations.
Why did you choose to love this picture?
It just made me smile. That house looks like it's having a great time up there.
Where would you hang the image in your own house?
Perhaps above the bed, it looks like something from a lovely dream.
If you could fly your house away, where would you take it?
I quite like it where it is, but perhaps we could fly by and pick up some of my friends around the world, and do a round trip to the moon?
What are the three most important things in your house?
My books & magazines, my photo albums, and my husband.
What are you excited about for autumn?
Falling leaves, big jumpers, fireworks.
Which is your favourite interiors shop?
Labour & Wait.
What was the last thing you bought?
Modular bookshelves from Kazam.
