118. Button

Buttons are nested objects. They are a functioning part of a larger object –a piece of garment- for which they fulfill a function that they could not fulfill on their own: a button does not have a reason to exist on its own other than as a collectible item or, perhaps, a decorative accessory. It seems that this was the case back in the Bronze Age when, according to some sources, buttons were first used not to fasten but as wearable decoration. This was 3,000 years ago. The button as a fastening device arrived into Europe 1,200 years ago, as the returning Crusaders appropriated the idea from the Turks and Mongols they had fought. Despite its fascinating, centuries-old history, the system of button and buttonhole is still prevalent and has not been put out of use by a better solution for fastening clothing. No big surprise. This fastening system is very clever in its low-tech simplicity: a vertical cut of a length slightly larger than the button’s diameter allows not only good fastening but also slight flexibility of movement, as the thread that secures the button to the fabric can slide up and down the vertical cut as needed. In the 16th century they were such a status symbol that the king of France’s garment exhibited 13,000 buttons. This is anecdotal, perhaps an exaggeration; but the everyday importance of this anonymous invention is unquestionable even if, as an object, nobody thinks about a button twice.

117. Pin-back button

The invention of celluloid in 1869 made possible the development of the first pin-back buttons: thin sheets of celluloid were used to cover printed paper and give the effect of the traditional enamel badge at a significantly lower cost. The new process used less metal and avoided the need for soldering or screwing. The first pin-back buttons were 1 inch in diameter and quickly became a low-cost vehicle for personal and political expression and national pride. Since the early 20th century, pin-back buttons quickly evolved into universally accepted personal accessories, wearable signs of identity that allowed individuals to display their cultural or political preferences in public in a non-confrontational way. In the United States, the pin-back political button, as we know it, first appeared in the 1896 presidential race, between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan. Since then, buttons have been present in every political campaign. They have been embraced by icon artists - John Lennon’s peace buttons- and full social subgroups -the punks in the mid seventies. There is something reassuring about having to display a message in such a small surface, having to wear it as an addition to one’s clothing. Wearable content is steadily implanted in our society and has been a mass consumer trend for decades. Buttons are an interesting hybrid half way between content and accessory. That’s why 150 years after they were first developed they are still around filling a void that high technology is unable to fill.

116. Bottle cap soccer

The advent of aluminum cans as containers for carbonated drinks epitomizes our current wasteful society. Before cans, glass bottles with steel caps were the norm. They still are for most beers, while sodas slowly evolved from aluminum can to plastic bottle with plastic cap, an equally wasteful choice compared with the glass bottle option. Glass bottles are recyclable and fully reusable, and as far as I remember the days when they were the only option, everyone recycled them as a matter of habit. Steel bottle caps are also reusable. In Spain, one of the favorite options for kids not too long ago was using bottle caps to assemble soccer teams and play miniature soccer matches on improvised surfaces (a small rug, a smooth floor surface, a table, etc.). It was as easy as cutting a round picture of your favorite soccer player and inserting it in the cap. Full teams could be assembled quickly, carried in the pockets of your trousers and deployed instantly for a match. The ball was a garbanzo bean or a rounded sphere made of aluminum paper. Looking back it seems an amazingly creative, resourceful, intelligent way of inventing games and making a lot from a little, probably something seriously foreign to today’s kids. In Spain there is a revival of this pastime. It is called Futbol Chapas and has clubs, a 16-page official book of game rules and regulations and, since 2005, an official national championship.