Sam and I have been working again on the eigenvectors paper – trying to get an analytical hold on the design principles that operate on (digital) media and mediation. see my comments on digital humanities last year Archaeology – looking at the design of things, in time, history, in relation to materiality. Made some breakthroughs…
posts – matters of design
Lord of the Rings – archaeological antecedents?
At University of Wales Lampeter we found that almost half of our undergraduates had chosen to study archaeology because of their fascination with fantasy worlds of the likes of Tolkien’s. I went to see the latest in the movie trilogy again tonight – to try to get a handle on this. (And because I can’t…
Issues of cultural property – the usual tensions
Two articles this weekend about the Parthenon marbles. The Guardian reports a video making a case for the return of the marbles sent to 1000 members of Parliament in the UK. The New York Times yesterday ran an article about the guilt instilled by a new museum on the slopes of the Acropolis in Athens,…
Vermeer’s archaeological interiors
Gorgeous. The movie. “Girl with a pearl earring”. At the heart – the simulacrum – the exact copy of an original that never existed. The PR and website for the movie are all about a delicate understated relationship, implicit in a finely crafted painting, a love story (the publicity stills show the main characters staring…
types of object
Barry Katz and I started a new course this quarter for Stanford Continuing Studies. Design – ten things: ten conversations sixteen kinds of object – just some thoughts made – comforting – evocative – signifying alienated – original – useful – everyday iconic – itself – mine – subversive mute – found (accidentally or deliberately)…
Archaeologists with attitude
Colin Renfrew in Stanford. Here to join me and Bill Rathje in a conversation about archaeology, for our book Archaeologists with Attitude. Gave a fascinating talk this evening – “The Sapient Paradox: cognitive archaeology from institutional facts to material realities”. He sketched out his interest in what he called material engagements – how people get…
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