Comments for john g. swogger

Comment on Fine Lines by Diana Baur

Diana Baur — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:14:50 +0000

It all connects up for me with Grayson Perry and his super programmes with one featuring tattooing………hand he got the Bafta last night apparently!

Comment on Arrows Away by Diana Baur

Diana Baur — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:41:46 +0000

John that vibrant drawing takes me right back to that time. Amongst other things, it’s good to be reminded that humour is definitely the best medicine and it certainly “got them through it all” in WW2.
My father, a conscientious objector, worked for the London Fire Brigade, (arguably more dangerous than the front line!)and when on leave- and for years afterwards, he regaled us with tales of Fire Brigade group banter – I recall this snippet:-
“A voice in the canteen yelled down the row of men eating their meagre rations, saying ‘who spread the butter on this bread?’ and when no reply was forthcoming, the same voice yelled again ‘and who took it off again?”

Comment on Comics, archaeology and fieldwork by Diana Baur

Diana Baur — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:06:25 +0000

John this is all ACE stuff. Wish I had more head room for it at the moment. However, once my current module is finished I will be relatively “free” and give it some thought. What immediately springs to mind is the many different ways artists record their thoughts and evaluate their works and their journeys visually and in written form – I’ve seen all manner of different styles of sketchbooks and journals, usually a great but different mixture of styles and weightings between the visual and the written. Never seen comic strip format ��yet, but stuff that certainly comes near to that, and also mixtures of manual and technological recording (Never seen 3D recording- YET!! – unless one might include those bulging sketchbooks full of thick collage material – and here we are drifting into book art��..) D

Comment on The Lost Art of Archaeological Narrative by John S.

John S. — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:47:49 +0000

Absolutely – in fact, in Europe generally, the use of comics as a didactic resource is pretty common. I can’t help thinking that the timing is right now, too, for them to start percolating “upwards” into more formal, academic publications. People like Joe Sacco have demonstrated that comics have a definite place in journalism – and some would argue that comics journalism is addressing some of the same communication issues that arise in archaeology and the sciences generally. And yes: the Professor Munakata book is good fun!

Comment on The Lost Art of Archaeological Narrative by bkmeans

bkmeans — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:24:32 +0000

I think that folks are a great deal less antagonistic than they were even in the recent past about comic books in the U.S. After all, as you know, they are a major educational tool in much of the world. When I was in India, comics were a great way to teach young Hindus about their own religion. Or, older scholars ,for that matter. Are you aware of Professor Munakata’s adventure at the British Museum? That’s a fun book. Wish I had seen the exhibit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/past_exhibitions/2009/manga.aspx

Comment on SAA Poster by John S.

John S. — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:34:22 +0000

Real memory lane stuff!

Comment on The Lost Art of Archaeological Narrative by John S.

John S. — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:33:09 +0000

… or better yet, a manuscript to Mitch! He finished his paper with an appeal to archaeologists to take a creative writing course and get stuck in!

Comment on The Lost Art of Archaeological Narrative by John S.

John S. — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:30:52 +0000

Thanks very much – very glad you liked the poster. And yes: I think engaging multiple audiences at the same time is one of the key things that comics could offer archaeology.

Comment on The Lost Art of Archaeological Narrative by bkmeans

bkmeans — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 14:59:47 +0000

Certainly your graphic approach is an effective way to get the archaeology message across. Your poster was very visually arresting and I thought a highly effective way of engaging multiple audiences about the past. Even the single photography you have in this post captures the imagination.

Comment on The Lost Art of Archaeological Narrative by Emily Johnson

Emily Johnson — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:22:45 +0000

Couldn’t agree more with this, John! I can feel a PhD proposal in it somewhere.