ifblog (Sunday)
It’s Sunday morning and I’ve just been to the Ron Muek exhibition over the road from the Edge. This artist’s highly realistic sculptures of bodies, complete with mottled flesh, greying hair and dirty finger nails, are either miniaturised or gigantic. It’s a wonderful exhibition for people-watching as visitors become giants or lilliputians in relation to the work on view. Most people are taking photos of the work, infact some don’t seem to be looking at it except through a view finder. The amplification process of visitors sending pictures and movies via their phones starts early and it’s amazing to imagine how many communications in how many directions will emanate from those rooms over the weeks.
At the workshop this afternoon I’ll talk about the Amplified Author, and I’ve been thinking a lot about the tools writers need to shape their ideas and then send them out into the ether to reach the readers they deserve. We need editors, marketers, printers – and of course inspiration and critics, but all these can come from different sources. Traditional publishers can no longer decide what finds its way into print, but need to prove themselves as serving a useful function in the chain of processes linking readers and writers. Meanwhile I believe the literature sector of organisations such as Writers’ Centres and the likes of if:book have a huge role to play if they can seize the digital times. I reckon if:books united have work to do making new kinds of bookiness. I’m looking forward to it.
Thanks to all at the Edge for allowing me to reside with you this weekend. Jason and I will post our piece here over the next few weeks.
Filed Under: Journalism
