Lecture 3 - The history of type

Type And Typography

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Todays lecture focused on type. We learnt about the origin of type and language. Type being a written version of a language, it is our way of being able to document which languages exists. It is impossible for us to know every language spoken, but as type is a written from of language, that can be our form to document which languages we do know exist.  Speech made visible. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia
/commons/2/23/Rosetta_Stone.JPG

Type is symbols used to express language 'Type is what language looks like'- Ellen Lupton. It is a way for use to communicate from distance, via letters, emails, text messages etc... It is an everyday thing. There is a lot of  history behind type, in 1799 the Rosetta stone was discovered, this was a tablet with type in three different languages inscribed onto it, each language saying the same thing. This stone was studied for years, and was used to figure out the different languages use of type.  

http://spartacus-educational.com/
EDforsterWE.jpg

Thanks to a man named William Foster (1870) the ability to read became mandatory, due to him creating the education act. Prier to this reading was only for the wealthy and the church. Reading was considered a rather womanly ability as well, due to it being something for wealthy wives to do while there husbands worked.
  

I found this lecture to be very informative, I hadn't considered how much history there would be behind type, it was very interesting to learn about where it has originated, and to how it has come to be what we know today.

Research Into my Quote.

Links of resources

Google Books -

• Fabulous Science : Fact and Fiction in the history of scientific discovery - John Waller 
• A world History of art - Hugh Honour & John Fleming.
• Historical Judgment - Johnathan Gorman
• Is History Fiction - Ann Curthoys and John Docker

Library Books -

• History Of Art. - Jacques Thuillier
•  The oxford illustrated history of britain - morgan - 942
• William Forsythe : the fact of matter. - Geansheimer, susanne & Kramer, mario
• Art History - Stokstad, Marilyn

Google Scholar - 

• Fact and Fiction: Nineteenth-Century Photographs of the Zulu - Virginia-Lee.
• History and Fiction as Modes of Comprehension
  Louis O. Mink
• Generality and Singularity in Historical Judgment
  Albert Hofstadter
• Study of History - Toynbee, Arnold J

Websites -

• http://idw.idebate.org/discussions/philosophy-and-religion/history-about-facts-or-interpretation
• http://www.factmonster.com/dk/encyclopedia/history.html
• http://history-of-animation.webflow.io/

The Quote I've Chosen to study - OUAN401

My Chosen Quote :

Carr E. H. (1961)  

'The history we read [...] though based on facts, is, strictly speaking, not factual at all, but a series of accepted judgements.'

I've decided on this quote as I find it to be very interesting, I feel this quote has a lot of truth behind it, as there is no proof for somethings to be true.  A good example of this is the myth of Napoleons height, allegedly he was meant to be a very short man, and this is taken to be true. Where as in fact he was considered to be tall in his time, being 5.5 foot tall. From this, you can see that the quote obviously touches on the truth as not everything you read or hear is always the truth.  

The Second Lecture - OUAN401

History Of Image

During this lecture we learnt about the history of art through the ages. We began by discussing the pre-historic arts, large images painted onto cave walls. Image has changed drastically through out history, from basic images to extremely detailed realist images, and then returning to minimalist. As human beings we have gone through a rather immense amount of change in how we produce art. A lot of art is designed to create emotion, we discussed Rothko in the lectures, he was an artist that created large images purely black in design, and allegedly a lot of emotion is felt whilst viewing these images due to the artists tragic passing.

http://www.markrothko.org/images/paintings/rothko-chapel.jpg

http://www.mathematicianspictures.com/

LEONARDO_DA_VINCI_SHOP

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Another topic we touched on, was digital art. In this day and age art can be created, modified, stolen, re-produced all digitally. We discussed that important art such as the Mona Lisa can be found on cheap plates and mugs etc..., which inevitably kills some of the magic of the art, as why bother going to see the actual art, when you can find it almost everywhere. I do and don't agree with this, to me there is a certain magic to be found going to see the original. Where as seeing a copy can be inspirational, it doesn't hold the same value as seeing the original. Our lecturer said 'It's like using art as a weapon against its self.' which I think is a very cleaver way to put it.

The First Lecture - OUAN401

Visual Literacy 

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In this lecture we discussed the principles of communicating visually. To elaborate, visual literacy is to communicate something with out the use of words. We considered as to why this form of communication is needed, and how a lot of them we take for granted. For example the use of the male and female symbols for the toilets. No matter what language you speak you will be able to recognise the symbols; even if they have either no written communication or communication in another language. 

We also discussed visual syntax and semantics. Visual Syntax is the structure and visual origination. So to simplify that, its more or less the primary foundation of the image and the way you interoperate it. Where as visual semantics is our ability to recognise a certain shape or symbol and associate it with a certain thing. For example, while driving you will see a give way sign which is an upside down triangle, which is the only sign in driving that is upside down, there for with out and written explanation you immediately associate the sign with being give way.

http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/images/6/6d/TSRGD_501.jpg  


I found this too be a very eye opening lecture, as thinking about it now, I've not really considered the fact that we take these sort of signs for granted in our everyday life. Associating a certain thing or activity with a symbol is key in everyday life, and we do this with out even thinking about it anymore.