That is the question that Cody Hamilton and his relics seem to be asking. On one hand, we humans do tend to worship the past as a matter of definition; on the other, do we simply glorify form not for the sake of art but in order to do better in the present? Cody's pieces, given a desensitizing coat of white, are supposed to make us feel instead of merely think and they do succeed in that, something that is actually perhaps more valuable. Indeed, we must consider design as a tool for emotion, not simply function.

Says Hamilton of his work, "Relics is a project playing off the idea that the white Greek statues that we see now were once bright, colorful and vibrant. I wanted to bring that idea to the most colorful and vibrant decade ever, the '80s!" He accomplished this by covering iconic pieces, everything from a Viewmaster to a Rubik's cube, in a coat of white that mimics the marble of ancient artifacts.

If design must be ascribed a mission, it is to start conversations that have not been had before. And that is exactly what Mr. Hamilton is asking us to do with his Character Approved relics of the past. From the Atari joystick to the VHS tape by way of the Stay Puft Marshmallow man, we must start talking!

[Images: Cody Hamilton]