Interesting, Inspiring, Provocative... or just plain Cool

I've added a gadget to the right margin of blogs that I find interesting; ones that focus on historical re-creation and re-enactment. Interestingly, they're largely European.

Enjoy.

Battle-less

So, I didn't go to Battlemoor. And you know what? I'm pretty happy that I stayed home.

Viking dress - the hangerock, specifically

Just when I had some confidence about what is and is not an "authentic" hangerock...

I have found two European sources that suggest that the two-part, split-front hangerock is re-enactor quality. I have to admit that the arrangement is fetching and goes a long way toward explaining that trim-only-between-the-broaches thing.

Spindle whorls

I am developing plans to make spindle whorls. My first ones are Viking-era style, per

http://www.stringpage.com/viking/spindles.html

These are soapstone, which is easy to get and to work, and mark them as typically Viking-era.

I'm starting with 1.5" whorls, and the next set will be smaller. The slabs are 9mm thick which seem to be on the lighter weight of stone whorls. Since these are soapstone, they will be discoid in shape. Stone whorls were probably made on-site in the homesteads and there is some indication that they were made of recycled soapstone cooking pots.

I'm using hand tools on these, to keep them from looking manufactured. Saws, drills, sandpaper, etc. (Yes, I know that sandpaper is modern.)

The spindles are going to be oak, which is easy to get at the hardware store; the widest thickness is 8mm.

More pictures later. 

Next? Pewter. And ceramic. 14th century. 

Authenticism under the Big Tent

Companie Golden Lyon members have long struggled with the affliction of high purpose; we are all the sort of people who are driven. In short, we're geeks. We geek at parties over details discovered in a fifteenth-century painting, over discoveries in Menagier, we reminisce fondly about an almost otherwordly feast that happened on a long-ago September night. We are excited by what we're learning and making and doing.

The real fun happens when like-minded folks join us. We often refer to that feast night because we all experienced that "medieval moment", when we dined in the candlelight, conversed about our purpose, and spent a few hours just being part of our setting - the tents, the tablewares, the food. Like a play, the setting of a period encampment absorbs the people into the milieu; the feeling of reality transcends the show.

Three Stags, 2005

We hope that our joy - our entertainment - inspires others. More people to have fun with! The resistance to our approach is frankly rather baffling, but then again, we've got these high ideals. Striving is valuable; intellectualism is laudable, good enough is seldom good enough.

To us, mediocrity is failure and success is beating our own personal best.

It's unapologetically elitist, I suppose. And this paints a bright red plastic target on our backsides, because in our society (the greater Western one, not the SCA), success is frequently resented. Certainly non-ethical success should have no expectation of respect, but for those who work hard, study hard, and strive, surely there is value? Not so fast, Cupcake.

Battlemoor stuffs to do:

• Tunics for Evan - 6 days... don't think I have enough fabric for that many tunics. 
• Smocks for Evan - there are 2 cut out; not enough linen for 6. 
• Hood for Evan 

Seems like a trip to DF is in order... flatfolds don't fail me now. 

• Finish red linen kirtle
• Alterations on blue wool GFD
• Alterations on purple linen GFD??

• Sunshade - finish
• North Star - repair
• Silk Banners

Projects to take with me:

• Shoes
• linen kerchiefs/veils - 36" square, 24"x 64" rectangle
• spinning

This weekend is all-sewing-all-the-time. 

Toward a (More) Period Encampment

A lot of what we do in the SCA involves the appearance of things. For instance, the clothing that we wear to events helps to identify the actors and create an atmosphere of another time and place. Our fighters try to look the part on the field, by creating armor that is shiny and fighting clothing that is colorful. We like to do things like dance period dances and play period games.

These things, much like a play, allow us to imagine, even for a few hours – if imperfectly – that we are actually medieval people in a medieval world. Clothing and activities that transport us to another time and place have a lot to do with the success of an event. A few times, that success might be so sublime that we experience what people call the “medieval moment” – a feeling of reality that transcends the play.

The environment that we perform this play in is also a part of that success. We dress up event spaces to keep them from being glaringly modern; we are building the set for the play. In many ways, our backdrop is the costume that the environment wears. That’s why many of us make canvas sun flies rather than E-Z Ups, use medieval-looking chairs instead of aluminum-frame camp chairs, and dress up our environment with colorful banners.

The ahistorical SCA - arguments on arts and sciences competitions

The A&S competition might compete for space with Crown Tournament as a cultural icon of the SCA. Much effort is put into A&S competitions, both in service to the event and on the part of entrants. The A&S competition is seen variously as visibility, opportunity, or a pre-requisite to the accolade of Laurel. Vast quantities of commentary, criticism, and kvetching happen constantly; how much they suck, how abusive they are, how to make them better, how to get judges, how to educate judges, how to educate entrants.

Ever the heretic, I wish to state that I am opposed to A&S competitions.