« November 2004 | Main | March 2005 »
February 24, 2005
Back to the future
The following text (PDF download) is the first draft of the article I mention in the previous post. I've had a lot of trouble with itómainly because I ended up trying to summarise my topic, where I can see now in hindsight that I should have just focused on the trip to Hatch and the specific issues that arose from that. One of these 'issues' was the notion of authenticity often contained in nostalgic tendenciesóI end up touching briefly upon this in the last bit about Hatch Show Print.
While this didn't come out as well as I'd thought it might, one interesting thing, topic-wise, that came from my writing this was the idea I had about returning to the past to find a 'new point of departure', or a new trajectory out from an old idea. Although, having said that, I should mention that I also now see 'nostalgia' as perhaps not being the right term (or trigger) for my topic. Like 'appropriation' it carries a lot of baggage that I'm not actually interested inómainly the associated sense of emotional attachment, and 'yearning' for the past. So I guess that's something that I got out of writing this too . . .
Thought I'd chuck some of the images and captions on here . . .
The White Stripes/Loretta Lynn poster. Designed and printed by Bethany Primrose at Hatch Show Print, 2003.
Hatch Show Print sign at 316 Broadway, Nashville, Tennessee. Everything at Hatch has a story. This sign was purchased with money made from printing posters for country music legend Roy Acuffís unsuccessful campaign to become Governor of the state of Tennessee in 1948.
Jim Sherradenís desk at Hatch. While Jim really wants nothing to do with digital technology, he is quick to point out his awareness of its role in the survival of the shop. Delaney Gill, Assistant Manager, has a PC nearer the front of the shop, carefully positioned so that you hardly notice itís there.
Proofing my second job at Hatch, a poster for ëDoc Stoneís School of Musicí. Printed onto tracing paper, these proofs would be scaled down on a photocopier and faxed to the client. Two or three colour jobs would be faxed as separations, and the client asked to hold them together against a window or some other light source.
Alterations to a Jill Scott poster. A ëHatch posterí is highly sort after by musicians from all sorts of various genres, from Beck to Justin Timberlake.
Attracted to the fortuitous and unpredictable results created while ërunning-upí the presses, Jim Sherraden began to experiment with the means as potential ends in themselves. Encouraged by the likes of David Carson, Jim has often extended his practice as a letterpress printer over the last decade developing these collage monoprintsóoften sold as one-off pieces to collectors and galleries. In the book about the shop Sherraden describes the process as ìshaking the archive like a kaleidoscopeî.
Posted by Luke Wood at 07:43 AM
February 09, 2005
Back
Actually been back for a couple of weeks now. Currently writing an article about my trip, which has actually ended up being more about nostalgia and the Hatch bit will be a kind of 'side-article' thing illustrating my own nostalgic tendencies. Visited Melbourne on my way back where we all had a meeting and I literally had nothing new to offer! So using this text as an exploration of my use of the term nostalgia has been helpful. Helpful, in the sense that in doing this I've found that perhaps (as Lisa had already suggested!) nostalgia is not the right word? The same thing happened with my use of the term 'appropriation'. Both of these influence my topic but are not what I think will, finally, motivate it.
I will post the text here when I'm finished it, along with some of the images that will be used to illustrate it. Once that's done, there's certain aspects of the trip that I want to discuss more, and of course a bunch of records I bought while away.
Come back soon . . .
Posted by Luke Wood at 09:36 AM