Accidentally Wes Anderson
Photo by @Valentina_Jacks | Hotel Opera | Prague, Czech Republic
Written by Emilie Murphy
It all started with a subreddit and a Wes Anderson fan. On the site were images taken from real-life, with one caveat: each image was, in some way, reminiscent of a Wes Anderson film, of the pastel-colored fantasy worlds he immerses viewers in. After stumbling on the reddit, Wally Koval decided to create an Instagram page, and @accidentallywesanderson was born. The account is a testament to the power of images, a visual feast for travel enthusiasts and anyone with an appreciation for design and architectural aesthetic. The images are divergent in place and subject, but similar in the beauty they evoke.
Photo by Ludwig Favre
There are simple scenes juxtaposed against lush interiors: a solo wooden boat in Nova Scotia posted right after the interior of a luxuriant Strasbourg train car. A life preserver on the back of a boat in North Wales becomes a perfectly curated study in color. A row of mailboxes in Michigan is a work of art. For those who still dream of spending a night at the Grand Budapest Hotel, a real-life cotton candy pink-colored hotel in Prague might pique your interest. Or, folks still searching for the idyllic seaside in “Moonrise Kingdom” might look into Griffith’s Island Lighthouse in Australia.
The images are explained in the accompanying captions. Koval dives deep into the history, if applicable, the location, and any other notable characteristics of a subject that might not be clear when looking at the photo. It is a marriage of snapshot and text, reflecting the ways in which we respond to an image and immediately want to know more.
Photo by @christianharder | Delaware & Ulster Railroad | Arkville, New York
With over 870k followers and counting, Koval receives thousands of submissions each week from eager contributors and fans of the page. There is no set criteria, no detailed guidelines on the submissions page beyond a brief description of the project, “a look-book for avid travelers and aspiring adventurers - a taste of the unending opportunities to experience distinctive design and unexpected narratives.” But each photograph has that unidentifiable je ne sais quoi of all Anderson’s work, something hard to describe, but obvious when seen. Perhaps it is a symmetric facade, an unusually colored doorway, or a room filled with chairs that suddenly becomes interesting. Whatever the allure, it reminds us to seek out the beauty in the mundane, to find and relish in those details that make our lives a little more colorful.
Photo by @grin_land | Vizhinjam Old Portuguese Church | Kerala, India
And Wes Anderson agrees. Anderson himself gave the account his stamp of approval, granting Koval exclusive rights to share artwork from his film “Isle of Dogs.” It was a new twist to what was initially a happy accident: no longer an imitation of Wes Anderson gracing the page, but the real thing.
