The Jotter - issue 34
“When the world demands toxic productivity, contemplation is a radical act.”
Waiting for the film to start, we sit in silent contemplation. As if we are readying ourselves to pray. Knowing that what we are about to see will shake us.
The lights dim. It starts with birdsong which is gradually submerged into the rumbles of the city.
Then abrupt silence.
The camera moves hypnotically around and around the “charred obscenity of the earthbound tower.”
24 minutes two seconds of still contemplation.
And 24 hours two minutes later it’s still sinking in.
Contemplation… a radical act.
“Works of art cannot compensate for or redeem this cruel folly. I hope that this intervention not only bears witness to the sorrow and anger which exceed words, but also that it will amplify sympathy, solidarity, and indeed shame at the fact that this could ever have been allowed to happen.” (Paul Gliroy)
Grenfell by Steve McQueen is showing at the Serpentine Gallery until 10th May
Hello
The introductory quote was written by Thomas Sharp for the Henry Moore Foundation. He writes words for Cubitts spectacles (mentioned in Jotter issue 31) and enlightening emails on Substack.
Onwards
Andrew
01, Thank you
Anastasia hand-delivered a thank you letter to Vitsœ’s London shop after attending a design class. She will go far.
02, Photography
I hope you will forgive a little self-indulgence, but this weekend is the Bradford on Avon Photography Group’s annual exhibition (please do visit). I am exhibiting four photos and selling my first publication.
It’s a 24 page tabloid. Not the kind of tabloid with lurid headlines and involved in phone hacking scandals. But one with photos of my favourite brutalist buildings and some accompanying text.
It’s been fun creating it.
Printed on 80gsm bright recycled paper by The Newspaper Club (thank you Angela Lyons for the tip). This is thicker and gives better image quality than a standard newspaper which is printed on 42gsm paper.
03, Advertising
When adverts were worth reading. Because businesses allowed agencies to be imaginative and trusted their customers to have some intelligence.
04, The post-platform internet
Again on Substack (can you tell that it’s my new favourite platform?), Kyle Chayka starts with these words “I don’t think I’m alone in feeling adrift on the internet right now. There’s no place to call home, no central gathering point where the people I want to talk to congregate” and continues on a thoughtful trajectory.
05, AI
Here I am adding to the many column inches and social media posts debating Boris Elgagsen’s recent AI generated win in the World Sony Photographic Awards.
In this article, he says:
“I love photography, I love generating images with AI, but I’ve realised, they’re not the same. One is writing with light, one is writing with prompts.”
06, Posters
Mark Reynolds is amidst “a never ending series in which I self indulgently re-imagine songs I like as movie posters.”
Thank you Chris Waddell for leading me there.
07, Music
Some new albums releases are more exciting than others. This one is very exciting.
08, Work.
Matthew Killip makes award-winning short documentaries which have been streamed on Netflix, broadcast on UK television and played at film festivals around the world. He also has a simply perfect new website.
Thank you for reading the April Jotter. The next issue will flower into life on Friday 26th May at 11am.
Onwards
Andrew
“When burdened by the feeling that there are too many photographs in the world, I ask myself if there are too many flowers.”