CONDITIONS: MEDIA, MATERIALS, MODELS
Dr. Guerra's class session title "The Culture and Society of Bookmaking" is in reference to the physicality of text. The wights of printmaking include the detail of the exterior (cover), the page construction (material), the size of the page, and the size and style of font.
This sheds light on not only the contents of the page but also on the historical evolution of the construction process and strategies of filling the page as well.
For the purpose of training the mind not to give in to the instinctive urge to jump too quickly to our existing models of analysis, the process of Prownian Analysis is introduced.
Through performing Prownian Analysis on a text, attention is brought to previously overlooked or assumed details and descriptions of form and medium. This sort of forceful attention (attention with intent) allows the formation and connection of new associations that have the potential to inspire and give substance to broader conversations and discoveries. Asking new questions forces us to search for different details and explanations, which subsequently leads to new discoveries. Breaking apart the familiar is a difficult and unsure thing because our preconceived understandings discourage analysis. This maps out the process of noticing differently, encouraging attention to these objects as if experiencing them anew.