No21 Filming handwriting experiments...

Reflective Journal Entry No21 11/07/11

Just completed a session over an hour of filming my own handwriting. Main purpose of this to show not only how I compose but also from the layout of the written words and how over a few minutes subtle changes do take place when writing, notable tiredness, but also wanting to keep a good flow in front of a camera. I'm thinking that this could also be used inside the Rylands as part of the experiment with the filming, though I must look at having pre-prepped items to write about or at least notes to work from, or maybe not?  If it's too prepared then it may lose it's spontaneity?

So I have shot 3 sequences of handwriting around 4 minutes each which show how I compose and write, what also has come out of this is how I set out a line of text, when there is no line to follow, this goes back very much to my college training days when we had to draw out type without the aid of a line, now those were the days...

Aside from this the main aim tomorrow to undertake more photography and filming in the city and the Rylands as part of a recky to see where certain ares will fit in with the visuals I want to complete. Monday 18th, I have a green light to undertake my visual experiments (just received as I'm typing this journal entry) so lots to organise with Uni to get equipment and later that day I have a meeting with Julianne Simpson who's responsible for the Special Collections of print and manuscripts (Pioneers of Print)

So lots to do over the next week, details to follow later...

Handwritten item which appeared on the BBC - The first ever football rulebook...

No20 It's back to the Rylands and research links...

Reflective Journal Entry No20 08/07/11

Following on from the previous post, today I have had another positive link established with the Rylands and this time with Julianne Simpson Collection and Research Support Manager (Printed Books) Special Collections The John Rylands University Library. A meeting has been arranged for the week after next to discuss. Julianne has also very kindly sent me these links for background as part of the research for my dissertation report...

Rylands Incunabula

http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/searchresources/guidetospecialcollections/atoz/incunabulacollection/

 

http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/firstimpressions/The-Collection/

 

Aldus Manutius

Martin Davies, Aldus Manutius (1995)

http://catalogue.library.manchester.ac.uk/items/864479

 

Martin Lowry, The World of Aldus Manutius (1979)

http://catalogue.library.manchester.ac.uk/items/1308590

 

Early printing in England

 

Lotte Hellinga, William Caxton and Early Printing in England (2010)

http://catalogue.library.manchester.ac.uk/items/3103551

 

E. Gordon Duff, Printing in England in the 15^th century (1917, rev. by Lotte Hellinga 2009)

http://catalogue.library.manchester.ac.uk/items/3023848?

 

Catalogue of books printed in the XVth century now in the British Library : BMC. Part XI, England (ed. by Lotte Hellinga, 2007)

http://catalogue.library.manchester.ac.uk/items/2579338

 

The Cambridge history of the book in Britain. Vol.3, 1400-1557 (1999)

http://catalogue.library.manchester.ac.uk/items/1389744

 

Early printed books as material objects: proceedings of the conference organized by the IFLA Rare Books and Manuscripts Section, Munich, 19-21 August 2009

http://catalogue.library.manchester.ac.uk/items/3127285

I will be looking through these over the course of the next few days, but they will certainly form part of the biblio in a large way...

No19 Further exploration of the handwritten concept...

Reflective Journal Entry No19 06/07/11

Following on from the previous post showing the screengrabs from the latest iMovie development work, I finally managed to get twin images sequences to work together, and by then taking this out of iMovie and re-importing back in, I have experimented with some of the rough 109 footage and added this to the mix, not sure where this will lead, but I'm now thinking that this 3rd addition can have rough footage shot throughout the library and outside running though? need to storyboard this and this will follow in the next week.

In the meantime I have 'green light to go' to run the experiments at the Rylands, I just need to get the equipment.

Following on alongside this is my new area of interest the handwritten script, and I have started to put together a rough cut sequence of my handwritten quotes and random thoughts from own journals written over the last 6 years, and which have once again proven their value as my 'historical archive' for the information to draw on. I'm still waiting to hear back from the curator of the 'Pioneers of Print' area but this will happen it's just a case of pushing it along in the next 2 weeks. I am hopeful of getting the work underway before the end of this month, well at least the 1st part of the experiments in the Rylands.

Latest screengrabs from iMovie 3rd Semester development work...

MEN Article - Christchurch asks Manchester for help...

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1425390_quake-hit-christchurch-in-new-zealand-asks-manchester-how-to-rebuild-a-city-after-devastation

Historical Postcards Part 2 - Manchester, Salford, and Ramsbottom.

No18 Postcards, a dying art...

Reflective Journal Entry No18 30/06/11

As mentioned briefly in Journal entry No17, I watched the item on BBC Breakfast News this morning, and really quite annoyed with myself that I didn't record the item. I don't actually know what prompted this report and the interview with both the people in the studio, but it centred on the fact that we the British Public, just don't communicate as often anymore by Postcard, except for when we are visiting a place of interest, for the day, or on holiday as Tourists.

It is just another example of the way a craft, and art and a form of communication and the pace of life, has slowly come to the point where it has nearly died out. Watching and listening to the discussion raised a few points.

1. The postal service, in the discussion it raised the point that over 100 years ago, post was delivered up to 6 times a day.

2. The development of the Telephone, meant the public relied less on written messages for short-term communication.

3. The form of images/illustration changed during the 1st World War, and the art never really recovered after this. 

The posting before this showed a few examples of some of the earliest postcards sent, also the styles of writing show again the difference in where communications have gone in the last 120 years especially.

This method or craft, has once again brought back potential for visual exploration of the medium, and may off a way to further include an option of cards to be included in the resource kit of materials? I will detail this over the next few days, and should have by the weekend additional photography of the Rylands interior...

Historical Postcard examples Part1...

No17 Postcards...

Reflective Journal Entry No17 30/06/11

This morning by chance, I was watching the Breakfast News on BBC1, when they broadcast and item on why we don't seem to communicate with postcards anymore? I thought well this could certainly feed into my current work, so I will explore this further later...