June 13, 2008
June 09, 2008
International Archives Day
Some time ago the ICA and the archive world discussed having an International Archives Day. Well apparently today is it! Yes, 9 June 2008 is the first ever International Archives Day. The date was chosen to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the founding of the ICA. I had no idea a date had been decided upon until I serendipitously stumbled across the announcement on the ICA webpage. I feel caught unawares. While I’m pleased that there is now such a thing as International Archives Day, I’m disappointed it wasn’t better publicised.
May 14, 2008
National year of reading 2008
From April to December of this year it’s National Year of Reading here in England! According to their webpage, the Year “aims to help build a greater national passion for reading in England – for children, families and adult learners alike”. Each month has been given a theme, to help direct our reading activities and ensure we attain measurable benefits from them. The theme for May is “Mind and Body”. This month we’re directed to “celebrate the links between reading and health”. They suggest we do this through the medium of comedy, or more particularly, through the words of comedians. Or, if we’re lucky enough, our local library will have someone read to us while we relax with a massage or workout with a yoga, pilates or aerobics session.
I hope I have the chance to comment on the Year in later blogs.
I hope I have the chance to comment on the Year in later blogs.
May 12, 2008
On holiday
My recent holiday included a trip to Tokyo. I’d never been to Japan before. Tokyo is lovely to look at. It has very impressive, modern architecture. Everything looks new and the streets are clean. The state of their subway really brings home how inefficient, expensive and unpleasant the London Underground is. One thing Japan’s not so hot on though is vegetarian food. 3 days of eating pizza from Italian restaurants and I was ready to leave. While there though, we unwittingly stumbled on the Japanese National Archives. It was opposite the Imperial Palace compound. Being somewhat of an anorak, I took this photo and then popped inside to look at their exhibition.
April 21, 2008
The new photography
Over previous months I’ve attended two concerts. This is unusually social for me. I got a band-promoting t-shirt at one of them, and the opportunity of observing my fellow humans at both. I was struck by two things: 1) if bands are going to charge so much for their t-shirts they should make them out of decent quality material; 2) the number of photographs being taken during the performances.
Re #2, this seemed excessive. One person took >10 shots during one song (I stopped counting after that). Assuming that the photos were taken as an aid to future memory, I couldn’t help but wonder how having >10 almost identical photos is better than having 1 or 2. Now multiply that by the number of songs played….. Everyone seemed to be snapping continuously, even incessantly. It was relentless. Flashes exploded in every direction as people snapped images of the stage, their friends, themselves and themselves photographing the stage.
It struck me that my original assumption was wrong. People weren’t taking these photos as, or merely as, an aid to future memory. For a large part of the audience, taking photos was an essential part of the experience itself. Considering that an individual might have snapped close to, or more than, 100 shots, how many of these images would ever be looked at? How many will be discarded, deleted?
It’s difficult for me to interpret this. But it’s interesting to think how technology effects our social behaviour and our expectations of events.
This is one aspect of the new digital culture that I don’t get. For me, photographs capture moments of our lives and provide us with evidence of our past. At the same time I generally find it annoying to stop whatever it is I’m doing in order to create this evidence. It breaks the flow. So I don’t understand photography so intertwined with life that it becomes part of what you’re doing.
Re #2, this seemed excessive. One person took >10 shots during one song (I stopped counting after that). Assuming that the photos were taken as an aid to future memory, I couldn’t help but wonder how having >10 almost identical photos is better than having 1 or 2. Now multiply that by the number of songs played….. Everyone seemed to be snapping continuously, even incessantly. It was relentless. Flashes exploded in every direction as people snapped images of the stage, their friends, themselves and themselves photographing the stage.
It struck me that my original assumption was wrong. People weren’t taking these photos as, or merely as, an aid to future memory. For a large part of the audience, taking photos was an essential part of the experience itself. Considering that an individual might have snapped close to, or more than, 100 shots, how many of these images would ever be looked at? How many will be discarded, deleted?
It’s difficult for me to interpret this. But it’s interesting to think how technology effects our social behaviour and our expectations of events.
This is one aspect of the new digital culture that I don’t get. For me, photographs capture moments of our lives and provide us with evidence of our past. At the same time I generally find it annoying to stop whatever it is I’m doing in order to create this evidence. It breaks the flow. So I don’t understand photography so intertwined with life that it becomes part of what you’re doing.
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