Zoe Armstrong – MET

THE MECHANIZATION OF WRITING

Task 4: Potato Printing!

This task took me back to art class. I decided to use my very favorite food as my word for this activity: bagel.

Was there something particularly challenging in the process?

Initially things got off to a solid start. I had watched the tutorial so I knew what I was in for however prior to this activity, I had never created potato stamps. The toughest part was definitely carving out the small holes in the letters of “B” and “A.” It was equally as challenging to produce the curve on the “B” and “G” with a pearing knife.

How much time did it take for you to create the stamps? 

It took me about 45 minutes from start to finish. Perhaps had I slowed down, the stamps would have had cleaner lines or looked more symmetrical but I was too excited to see the product!

Have you notice anything particular about the letters that you have chosen to reproduce?

Having to move so slowly through the carving of each letter, I got very familiar with the shapes in the letters. As a grade 6 teacher, I am always looking for ways to bring math into the everyday life of my students and this proved to be a cool opportunity! The “B” resembles two half circles, the “G” is nearly an oval, the “A” a triangular shape, the “E” similar to a rectangle. I’ve never spent so much time thinking about a single letter until this activity.

Considering the time and effort that took you to create a 5-letter word, how do you feel about the mechanization of writing? 

I feel grateful that the process of writing and sharing our thoughts and ideas has evolved to the place it is now. As we discussed last week and as Lamb & McCormick (2020) discussed in their podcast episodes, literate cultures did not emerge until the mass production of books, which wasn’t until the invention of the printing press. In order for people to learn to read, they needed access too the materials to do so. The reality is that access to books is still limited in many places so one should be considerate of the great privilege that comes with being able to read and write and make use of the technologies that support these two skills.

And as for my potato printing journey…

Attempt #1:

Attempt #2:

Side by side:

If at this point you’re wondering if I have realized that in cutting the letters out from left to write, it will cause the stamp to be backwards… I haven’t.

Time to stamp!

It was however, at this point that I realized something was not quite right.

And it was here that I realized the immense significance of the title to the short film we watched this week, “Upside Down, Left to Right.”

References:

Lamb, R. & McCormick, J. (2010-Present). Stuff to Blow Your Mind [Audio Podcast] iHear Radio. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/stuff-to-blow-your-mind-21123915/episode/the-invention-of-the-book-part-63031174/