Friday, 25 November 2011: Arrived back in Leicester at about 2AM. I phoned relatives in the USA to wish them well on the occasion of Thanksgiving. After getting the first full eight hours of sleep I’ve had in the past ten days or so, I spent the day catching up on social media and working on journal entries, photos and many other ‘networking’ activities. I posted an ‘Open Letter to Nottingham Contemporary’ regarding their Weber exhibitions; there is some dry humour intended and I hope the ‘letter’ makes them smile (should the curatorial staff of NC ever read it).
Thursday, 24 November 2011: London Research: Royal Manuscripts at the British Library.
In my opinion there were a few logistical flaws but overall, this was a very well administered exhibition. In the visiting population there was some diversity of ages present but the range primarily consisted of thirty-somethings and older. There was very little cultural diversity observed in the visiting population while I was there. Though it does not directly impact my work I did observe that the joy of seeing beautiful things, of learning how they are made, seeing the humanity of the subjects and therefore being able to place one’s own life in context enhanced a personal sense of well-being (at least, it did do this for me and I don’t think I was not alone in that experience). I was also profoundly aware of how the dim lighting which is meant to protect the manuscripts also has the impact of calming the visitor.
I have written and posted a more extensive response to this exhibit posted as an entry into the ‘Living in Leicester’ journal.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011: Brown Bag Seminar: Speaker: Kevin Harris, Local Level Title: 'I Didn't Know I Could': Museums and Young People Looked After’ Sheila Watson, Marianne Tseliou. I missed this due to illness/migraine induced by sleep deprivation from noisy new neighbours.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011: Nottingham: Psychology of Objects.
Due to the train schedule between Leicester and Nottingham I did not get to stay for the panel discussion. The presentation by Dr. Paul Camic, ‘Things, Stuff and Rubbish’ was immediately applicable to my current research. Dr. Camic believes that objects have agency.
His main points were:
1. Objects are expressive and evocative—this is not necessarily a verbal process, he mentioned artist Joseph Cornell, and writer/researcher Edmund de Waal (Hare with Amber Eyes),
2. Objects are extensions of self—we need our things to get through life and our things change us (although he did not mention McLuhan, this is really what his point here was about),
3. Objects form and re-inform mentality--objects are important to rational learning processes and to emotional development,
4. Objects are relationships—we maintain objects and this necessitates relationship with the object and with other people as well.
In further support of his belief that psychology should review its perspective regarding the agency of objects Camic also discussed: Thompson (‘Rubbish Theory’ from 1979), Winnicott, Ingold (goings-on of things), Searles, Miller (‘Social Life of Things’) and many others. I am hoping to get a chance to discuss his ideas with him at some point in the future.
The current exhibitions were also quite interesting. They are based upon the concept of a cabinet of curiosity, of different scale; the concept of oneself being a curio in a large cabinet of curiosities known as the world. I will be posting an extended review in the ‘Living in Leicester’ blog.
Monday, 21 November 2011: Recorded monitor readings and conducted research.
Weekend: Research at home--review of online resources. Scheduling for monitor readings.
