2010 Reading CXIII-CXIV

( CXIII-CXIV: Suzy McKee Charnas, Walk to the End of the World / Motherlines )

Thinking aloud: Is it because I am a man that I never quite find representations of separatism comfortable? I wonder if I feel it's a cop out? I don't think it's a fear of a loss of my power, but then I cannot see entirely beyond white male privilege. I can see why women-only spaces are desirable, which is big of me, I know, although the intricacies of sex and gender may undercut these. Turn about is fair play.

I've been rereading Larry Townsend's 2069 (1969) in preparation for the rest of the trilogy which is from the 1970s, and the anti-woman stuff is appalling, as he describes a more homophile universe. I suspect representations of separatism replicate patriarchy's essentialism, albeit with a shift of agency. Motherlines does it better than The Wanderground, but is more of a traditional novel.

PSA: Toy Tales

Cartoon Museum, Little Russell Street, London

Toy Tales features some of the most popular animated children’s programmes produced in Britain over the last fifty years. Watched by generations of children - and adults – these animated characters retain the power to entertain and enchant long after they first appeared.

The exhibition has something for children and parents alike. There are over 100 items on show including drawn backgrounds and cut-outs, models, posters, animation cels and even a Clangers set. It provides insights into the creative process of animation including scripts, storyboards, preparatory drawings, animators’ notes and ‘animatics’ [early versions] as well as clips from the various films.

More here: http://www.cartoonmuseum.org/



Anyone who saw the two Canterbury Clangers/Postgate restrospectives will be familiar with the Smallfilms stuff - Clangers set, the Bagpuss, (but did you know Prof Yaffle was part inspired by G.D.H. Cole and part by Bertrand Russell?), backgrounds for Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog, etc. Plus Roobarb and Custard, Wallace and Gromit, The Snowman, Famous Fred, Bob the Builder and something called Pepa Pig

Plus:
Making Things: An Evening with Peter Firmin
Wednesday 1st Septemeber 6.30-7.30, 020 75808155 Adults £5, Concessions £4.


He's getting on a bit, but he seemed hale and hearty when I sat next to him late last year.

2010 Reading CXV-CXVIII

( CXV: Marta Randall, Islands (1976) )

( CXVI: Shulamith Firestone, The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution (1970) )

( CXVII: Kate Wilhelm, Margaret and I (1971) )

( CXVIII: Suzy McKee Charnas, The Vampire Tapestry (1980) )