...My grandparents, when they lived in Istanbul, gave each of their children a Turkish rug. I was 16 and made it a priority to one day understand and purchase one for myself. This day provided a proper start.
Typography. Books.
Rugs i
In Ephesus we spent a solid afternoon at a rug co-op - a visual feast. After an amazing lunch on the lawn and a formal presentation on the history and making of Turkish rugs, I started my homework...
Sardis
Sardis, I found haunting. It is remote, very rural and we were alone. The images I have mentally saved are all symmetrical. In this it feels formal, ceremonial. Grave. As another city of renown, it was sure of its impregnable citadel and was (of course) captured in 499 BC. The consequence of that pride lingers.
Just across the road, the Temple of Artemis - worth a google.
Ephesus
- in Ephesus, Greek on the top and Aramaic on the bottom
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, now Alaşehir, is another ancient site tucked away in rural Anatolia. Once a grand Roman and later Byzantine centre, it carries on humbly after 2000 years of conquest, upheaval, earthquakes, and occupation.
This small sample on a slab sitting under one of the colossal Byzantine columns, I loved. Squat, square, deep, strong, beautiful. These forms only measure about an inch tall. Next time I’ll be bringing materials for rubbings.
Smyrna
- Smyrna
Turkey
We are home from our two weeks in Turkey. Joining my husband on his tours is always immensely nourishing but this one was a special gift - a country my grandparents lived in and loved. That I never visited them there has been a deep regret.
The only (the only) thing I missed was time to explore the typographic heritage of this ancient country. Dilek is writing her PhD on Turkey’s alphabet reform and her interim reporting provided excellent base. Next time - there will be a next time - I will absorb the type. A collection of the crude and colourful signage alone would be a great project.
Here, inscriptions at Thyatira, now ruinous, once known for its rigorous industry and manufacturing. The forms here were unanimously fine (thin, deep stems) square and, from my perspective, refined - very pretty.
Barbarian Press - III
Back again, hanging about agog, taking it all in while Jan works on The Ingoldsby Legends. Here is Crispin's beautifully written and thorough summation of the project and their part in uniting engravings by the Dalziel Brothers (blocks on loan from Massey College at UofT) with the poems they illustrate - the blocks had never been printed.
- a well-worn "g" that needs replacing
- proofing pages
Back to Mission I go. I love this picture of Jan taken by Rosie Perrera.
Barbarian Press
Crispin and Jan have been supportive, interested and generous. Finally, I drove out to them. It was like drinking from a fire hose. I left with a heavy reading list and overwhelmed with that sickening combination of feeling encouraged and discouraged: - up to pursue a vocation, down about how much I do not know.
Acclimatizing from room to room - Library or the rest of their home? It is, at first sight, indistinguishable. Books from wall to wall, from floor to ceiling. What isn't covered with art is covered by a bookcase. We concluded our time in their library as it is where they keep the designed beauties, their entire set of Matrix being one treasure I was particularly excited about. Seeing Martin's tome on Robert Gibbings on their shelf reminded me of our small but strong community. Their collection rivals any institute's and their invitation to come by and simply read just might not be able to wait. Our first priority, though: the press room!
The Shadbolt in their loft studio is a marvel.