Yes, I mean "the Matter of...," not "the Matter with..."
Setting aside momentarily the rich play on words offered by "matter" (18 senses of the word appear in one dictionary I consulted), today's theme picks up the thread from July 24's post [Use link in the left margin].
There I highlighted a matter of change which is also a change of matter (i.e., material) -- the surging shift of dictionaries from book to electronic form.
For some people, it is also a change that matters negatively; they bemoan loss of the tactile way they interacted with dictionaries.
Quite the opposite for others. To them, the less solid the material composition, the more solid the advantages they see for using dictionaries -- more flexibility, timelier definitions, more words and information about them, speedier definition-searches -- to name a few.
Which camp are you in?
Reconsidering: Does Art indeed have the last word?
Mainly, this post picks up where July 24th left off, peering deeper into the provocative perspective on the change of matter that artist Brian Dettmer's "book sculpting" reveals.
Yes, the image above (presented courtesy of the artist. Thanks, Brian), titled "Webster's New International Dictionary, 2nd Ed." is a tantalizing example of his large and growing output.
(Visit www.briandettmer.com for more images and some galleries where you can see the real thing, if you are geographically lucky; online just doesn't cut it for fully experiencing such intricately crafted artwork.)
Previously I wrote "Art has the last word," referring to Dettmer’s sculptures as vivid visual messages that "use" language and books, but not in any conventional linear sense.
Since then I've read commentary by Brian, using language conventionally to explain his intended meanings in creating his sculptures. The explanations enrich my experience of the art -- so, does language really have the "last word"? The field of semiotics is the study of meaning, in which language is just a part: body language, clothing style, tone of voice, other symbols -- all convey meaning. But language is “privileged” -- ultimately we can share our comprehension of the non-verbal, whether art or personal presentation, only through language.
Language – Images – Information –Raw materials: A Media Mash-up?
Closing thoughts to ponder, from Dettmer’s May 2008 interview in Lodown Magazine (www.lodownmagazine.com)
“Images can work as words or phrases and language can work as an image or picture.”
And:
“Information is the natural material of our time and the analog shells can be explored like stone, or approached like their original wooden origin. There is a sensual, physical, tactile quality in old books that is becoming lost. When I approach the book as a raw material I am trying to rediscover and re-expose these qualities, highlight the natural qualities of the material.”
Maybe that’s the heart of the matter.
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It's a matter OF laziness. I, like many people these days, do all my writing on a computer with Internet access. Why should I get up and search for my dictionary when with the click of a mouse I can access an online dictionary? Laziness is just human nature. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Corinne, Thanks for discussing my work.
ReplyDeleteTo the previous comment-Laziness? I wouldn't say that.
The information in a dictionary has always been non-linear and fragmented but trapped in a heavy linear form. Now that we have a weightless web with direct branches there is no weight or wait so why would we go back to the paper form? I'm not saying they should go away. Paper will last much longer, doesn't delete or disappear as easily, and stays the same so we can see what was recorded at a given moment in history, rather than erasing it as time goes on.
Brian Dettmer
Teaching hundreds of college students each year, I stand by my "laziness" comment. :-) Many in that generation would never even think to search a print dictionary when they can go online from where they are already sitting. (And it is not just them. I don't think I have picked up a print dictionary in 5 years or more.) I wonder if children and teens are even taught how to use a print dictionary in school anymore? That would be interesting to know.
ReplyDeleteJust saw this in the NYT. Will dictionaries go the way of textbooks or vice versa?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/education/09textbook.html?_r=1&hpw
In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History
8-9-09
Interesting comments. I saw the NYT story and immediately related the signs of gradual demise of textbooks to similar developments for dictionaries, encyclopedias and other "look-up" types of books. Whether the trend will make all books as quaint as cave drawings will be decided very far in the future, but I think it will transform the look-up type much sooner.
ReplyDeleteHaller's question about kids and dictionaries has been a topic on my list for a future posting. Briefly, for now: there are civic groups like Rotary Clubs that make annual projects of donating dictionaries to 3rd grade classes in their community's schools. I wonder how long that will be viable.