Monday, November 14, 2005

Here today, gone tomorrow


becky_bowley

Wednesday is the last of the wonderful Becky Bowley’s durational performances at the Angel Row Gallery in Nottingham. She knits with yarn that dissolves before your eyes as she works. Her knitting has no visible result - its only measure is passing time! And thinking of knitting I wonder how things are getting on with Lucy, the sealpoint Ragdoll kitty and knitting supervisor, and those stunning knitted kitty baskets and the world of Wendy Knits?

This feature introduces us to mociology and Joe Trippi’s book ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’. Trippi argues that bloggers and mociologists (users of mobile phones) have the power of a ‘two-way printing press’. This he suggests will impact on the political process ‘It'll do for 21st-century politics what print did for the 18th.’ – or maybe we’ll just use our camphones to record our birthday parties. Who knows?

4 comments:

Mary Plain said...

I remember hearing Kenneth Goodman say that the printing press didn't change the world, the world changed so we needed the printing press. Is it the invention that makes the change or the change that makes the invention? hmm. a bit hard for a tired bear on a Monday, that one.
I like the idea of dissolving knitting...

Guy Merchant said...

Oh I think the change gives rise to the innovation. (Kress says the same thing.) The social conditions of late modernity give rise to altered ways of interacting. But, then again, there seems to me to be a bit of a push-and-pull: the affordances of new media produce new possibilities. So, this allows me to do this! Thanks for your comments.

Joolz said...

Aha. So cool to hear from Wendy.
The knitting blog isd fabulous.
I must go back and check out the political knittting blogs.
But also, regarding technological innovation; if people don't want it they don't buy it. Note the electric car. Note the robotic vacuum cleaner.
Check this out:
http://homepages.enterprise.net/cavan/ysac/failed.shtml

Guy Merchant said...

Good to get your views on knitting...and invention. Will invisible knitting ever catch on? Nice to hear from Wendy - it's ashame Lucy can't blog, too!