09/02/24

THE BEEB

A long overdue visit to Edinburgh's Museum of Childhood led to many unexpected treasures, but perhaps the most vivid was a cabinet dedicated to early computing. Though filled with gadgets and gizmos a-plenty, I found myself most enthralled by a user guide.

The BBC Micro was released in 1981 to support their Computer Literacy Project alongside The Computer Programme — an educational show that taught the audience how to use the machine at home. But it shouldn't require a tutorial to explain why I was drawn to such a striking relic.

BBC Micro User Guide, 1981

Failing to find a high resolution version of the cover to share, I decided to recreate it myself. A fun exercise in itself, but especially satisfying to see the beloved owl emerge from such effective simplicity.

01/02/24

MACHINES FOR SEEING WITH

I recently visited The Printmaker's Art at the Royal Scottish Academy. A sprawling exhibition of the medium tracing its origins through to present day. Huge works, household names, and perplexing techniques stretch across the gallery walls. However, it was perhaps the smallest picture that left the largest impression.

Prunella Clough (1919–99) was a British artist.

Gate, 1981

Stack, 1993

Clough’s friend and one of my heroes, Patrick Heron, once described her paintings as ‘machines for seeing with'. Plug me in.