The Wynds of History
An exploration of the paths of history through the lenses of public interpretation and academic review.
While I would love to own a bright yellow Volkswagon Bug, my bright orange Element provides more storage space. This posting on philaculture.org does make me additionally wistful at the lack of a Bug. Yes, I would drive through Phila with a giant bug on top of my car - what a creative, fun method of civic engagement!
Organization: American Philosophical Society
Job Categories: Volunteer & Intern, Philadelphia County (PA), Artist Development & Residencies, Museums
The APS Museum is seeking an intern who owns or leases a VW Beetle hard-top. The intern will drive the vehicle in conjunction with a 2-week (October 12-24, 2009) art performance titled The Voyage of the Beetle and will work with an experienced performance artist, who will stage guerilla performances throughout Philadelphia. Vehicle should be properly insured with valid tags. Availability of up to 8 hours per day during the performance run. Must be willing to have lightweight giant beetle affixed to roof of car during performances (will not damage car -attached via removable roof rack). Generous stipend and reimbursement for fuel/parking costs acquired during performances.
Posted: 09/04/2009 Expires: 10/05/2009
One of my earliest glimpses into the past was through the window of my parents' car. Whether in the green Buick station wagon or the red Rabbit hatchback, my seat in the car was the right rear one, and that view was my entrance to worlds present, past, and imaginary. The car window provided one of the best forms of car-bound entertainment in those days before hand-held technology. One of my favorite past times was to look for historical markers. While on regular trips around our small community in New York's Finger Lakes region or annual summer treks to my grandparents' home in Maine, sitting in the car was a trip into the past, if I paid attention. One didn't have to leave town to find the blue and gold metal signs. Geneva had many, from the one right down the road from our house marking the Iroquois site of Kanadesaga to the one marking the site for the Geneva Medical College, alma mater of Elizabeth Blackwell. The markers seemed to be everywhere when I was a child. Perhaps that was due to New York State's dedication to the practice. Perhaps I noticed because I was looking.
It seems I'm not the only one who enjoys looking. While doing research for this post, in addition to finding a search engine on the New York State Museum site listing markers, I discovered a page on Waymarking for NYS Historical Markers. According the website's FAQ, "Waymarking is a way to mark unique locations on the planet and give them a voice." Categories are as varied as "All Things Star Wars" to "Ginormous Everyday Objects." The specific use of Waymarking to collect historic markers allows not only for a scavenger hunt method of visiting historical sites but also provides the ability to visit them from one's armchair.
To go back to a question we raised alongside the Memorial Arch at Valley Forge - "Is this history?" Waymarking is not history - but its a fun way to use technology to gather representations or reminders of historical events and places. One could say its the next step in the evolution of preserving a memory. The marker installed in the early 20th century by the State of New York tagged a location as being a specific coordinate in space and time where something we consider momentous happened, a location we believe marks a specific change over time. The electronic waymarker is simply the 21st Century extension of such a marker. Luckily for those of use who still appreciate and enjoy reminders that we can see and touch, a waymarker doesn't replace the blue and gold metal signpost. It augments that object by extending its reach into cyperspace.
Waymarking may also serve as a tool to connect the more technology-embedded youth of today to three dimensional objects. When I bundle my family into my bright orange Element next summer for a trek to Wisconsin to visit my parents, perhaps we'll use Waymarker.com to track historic markers across five states, using the iPhone to encourage us to look out the window in search of history instead of playing video games. After all, one can always play PacMan or watch videos when its too dark to see the landscape.
Posts
