TASK 4:  EMILY

I chose to link to Emily’s Potato Printing assignment as it represents the variety of different ways of approaching a task.  Emily appreciated the artistic nature of this task, comparing it to the delicate and creative challenge of beadwork.  She included a time-lapsed video of her creative process, which I found really engaging and evidence of the value of communicating in a variety of forms.  The intricacy of this work is captured effectively in this video, an element that is missing from my still photos.

Her comment on the process was also revealing.  She notes:

“I believe the resurgence of handmade items allows people to develop a greater consumer consciousness and contribute to the movement of supporting local artists in their craft.” 

Upon reflecting on this comment I noticed a connection to the the printing press, and the impact this new technology had on the creation of print material.  Not only did the printing press lead to an intellectual revolution, but it also impacted the value of the book as a concrete object.  I commented how the emergence of print technologies made the book less valuable since content became the focus over the actual manuscript itself.  The painstaking detail that went into these books written and illustrated by hand, and constructed out of a variety of materials, made them works of art.  These handmade books become replaceable as mass production became a reality.  Yet over time the continued value of handmade items, as Emily notes, speaks to how technology while transforming how we write and communicate, does not completely replace traditional means.  Once again I seem to move back to the notion of remediation over revolution, and enjoy seeing the layers of connections between forms of text and technology.