-Flying Saucer Bank- mechanical bank 1956

Curator: This is the "Flying Saucer Bank," a mechanical bank made in 1956. It’s an assemblage incorporating metal and pigment, and its maker is Duro Mold and Manufacturing Inc. What's your immediate reaction to it? Editor: It’s…optimistically kitsch! That pastel teal and yellow color scheme immediately signals mid-century utopianism, promising progress and a whimsical view of the future. It feels light-hearted, but I can also sense an undercurrent of anxiety. Curator: The space race was really gaining momentum around this time, wasn't it? So much symbolic weight loaded into this playful object. You've got this hopeful vision of extraterrestrial exploration fused with something deeply mundane: saving money. The symbolism is overt and multi-layered. It seems to be saying: Saving can lift you up into the skies. Editor: Right, it speaks volumes about consumerism and the burgeoning middle class in post-war America. This wasn't just about putting pennies away; it was about buying into the dream—a future filled with technological marvel and material comfort for everyone. Ben Franklin Savings gets a ride into outer space! Curator: Exactly. I think this object perfectly captures the era’s fascination with space travel. In that historical moment, 'geometric' shapes like flying saucers stood as icons of the unknown, symbols of a future full of progress. Yet, the object is not solely aspirational. There's also the darker aspect, I suppose: It's a physical manifestation of collective hopes invested into what might have become 'broken' promises, in many ways. Editor: Absolutely. The bank’s form is fascinating when seen in light of broader cultural anxieties. It taps into both Cold War fears and utopian dreams, where anything seemed possible through technological advancement—and carefully managed finances. Plus, these shades always invoke a heavy undercurrent of cultural assimilation through gendered performance in the form of gender reveal cakes! Curator: Well, what's interesting to me is how such an 'immature' form carries the serious burdens and heavy load of representing and channeling shared expectations. As much as it points toward the future, its purpose points more urgently at present safety. The shape may also point backward toward historical precedents of “technological marvels,” such as naval weaponry and streamlined transportation, which also inspire mixed feelings about social order and governance. Editor: It makes me think of the accessibility of “saving” and which populations that promise of easy growth are marketed toward. What do you walk away with now, thinking about this little machine? Curator: I will never look at another flying saucer without wondering what social compact or anxieties that simple disk design conceals.