Saturday 17 January 2009

Attempting to kickstart the machine

I am struggling with getting started on a new project and it's getting me down.
I hate this feeling of being stuck.
And with various events looming, panic is starting to set in.
Maybe if I clear up my workspace it will unblock my mind.

Meanwhile Art Spiegelman's sumptuously produced Breakdowns is a treat to handle; the large format, the quality of paper and printing, the smell... His original 1978 collection of experimental comics, including his first stab at Maus, is bookended by newer autobiographical material. The use of colour in these newer sections is particularly pleasing to the eye, while the variety of styles and exploration of form and content in all Spiegelman's output makes for an inspiring and challenging read.
I was also given a set of four books on human rights, the first one containing a long Joe Sacco strip about the women of Chechnya. So far I have only managed the Chechen one and one about the murder of girls in Juarez, Mexico, as the material is so harrowing, one can only take so much without being overwhelmed with despair.

On a much more cheerful note, I just checked out this interview with Rob Jackson on Bugpowder.

No comments: