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The sign says it all. "Welcome to the beginning of your dreams."Nathan Mattise (using a 2014 Moto G, sorry)
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Friends might look at you sideways if your walls looked like this. At a self-proclaimed "Mystery House," though...Nathan Mattise (using a 2014 Moto G, sorry)
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Not all the circuit boards went toward ceiling styling.Nathan Mattise (using a 2014 Moto G, sorry)
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Art Deco-style robots definitely fit the folk art build. The aesthetic became popular in the 1920s and can be achieved with some repurposed metal.Nathan Mattise (using a 2014 Moto G, sorry)
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The Abita Mystery House is just a short bike ride from the reason most people know/visit Abita Springs (apologies for the blurriness).Nathan Mattise (using a 2014 Moto G, sorry)
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The first coin-operated arcade game cabinets came in 1971 (Computer Space and famously Pong). Game company Allied had its biggest successes as a cloning company. It hit record sales in 1973 off a Pong variation called Paddle Battle. Galaxy Raiders represented its attempt at Space Invaders.Nathan Mattise (using a 2014 Moto G, sorry)
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Apparently inspired by a National Geographic book, Williams' Aztec pinball cabinet dates back to 1976. Check out some gameplay.Nathan Mattise (using a 2014 Moto G, sorry)
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Another Williams creation, Beat Time debuted in 1967 and predates Pong. The same retro YouTube pinballer offers gameplay.Nathan Mattise (using a 2014 Moto G, sorry)
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Atari released Stunt Cycle among its second wave of offerings in 1976. It piggybacks off the era's fascination with Evel Knievel, and the game later received the console treatment.Nathan Mattise (using a 2014 Moto G, sorry)
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Seriously, thank God for pinball and gaming arcade cabinets. Kids in the 1950s had to navigate a landscape with these dancing clown machines instead.Nathan Mattise (using a 2014 Moto G, sorry)
ABITA SPRINGS, Louisiana—To the uninitiated, folk art seems decidedly lo-fi. As opposed to the classical techniques and aesthetics shown off at a fine art or modern art museum, folk art runs a gamut of adjectives: utilitarian, decorative, junky, profound, recycled,, crafty, and more.
But at the Abita Mystery House, artistic curators have increasingly embraced the idea of our vintage technology taking on second life as folk art. Enter the old gas station turned museum, and circuit boards from long deceased computers, televisions, and other gadgets line the ceilings. Art Deco style robots (or bots made from more unused circuit boards) stand at attention to take visitor tickets.
Artist John Preble started putting together the museum in the 1990s; culture vultures as big as Mike and Frank from the History Channel's American Pickers have descended upon it since.
While a fair amount of the Mystery House aims to represent local tradition—kinetic dioramas depict things like Mardi Gras and road-side BBQ joints; an entire chicken coop-like structure doubles as shrine to hot sauce—just as much feels devoted towards a trip down electronic entertainment memory lane. Visitors receive a few quarters at the front door, and these unlock everything from some of the earliest arcade experiences on record to horrifying clown machines seemingly meant to haunt you in endless nightmares.
On a recent cycling trip to visit Abita Springs' more well-known export, Ars couldn't help but take a peek. The experience ended up being well-worth the price of admission, not only for the infinite number of Instagram-ables but also for some folk art philosophy. Among our favorite discoveries, the museum punctuates one of its many twists and turns with a leopard-print CD offering 250 free hours of America Online. Hanging right above it, a sign shares some wisdom only gained over time: “In the good old days I could live way beyond my means for half as much as it takes now.” (Can we bus some modern ISPs to Abita Springs soon?)
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