Technologies of Writing

This is the name of an exhibition at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin.

The phrase "technologies of writing" refers not to the script or alphabet, the calligraphic or marking system that a text employs, but to the practical methods by which these systems are applied—pencil, brush, quill, ink, paint, print, machine key and pixel—and to the material surfaces and sites of writing itself—clay, animal skin, parchment, linen, wood pulp and cyberspace.

"The exhibition invites visitors to think about writing as they may never have thought about it before," said Kurt Heinzelman, curator of the exhibition and professor of English at the university. "Writing is perhaps man's greatest invention. Not even the emergence of language is comparable, for all species have a means of communication. Writing, though, is what enables language to be copied and stored. Writing is memory. It is what makes us human."

The exhibition showcases rare, original artifacts, dating from 2000 BCE to the present. Featured items range from the oldest writing system to electronic texts/novels, showing the development of writing is ongoing, responsive to technological innovations.

Just as this review from The Statesman says, you can "marvel at Charlotte Bronte's miniature script".

Here you can find a list of their Brontë treasures. We don't think they will all be on display, but now you know at least Charlotte's are :)

Categories: Art-Exhibitions, Brontëana