#Notes from a Centaur's Curator

[missedstations]

"Notes from a Centaur's Curator" - Gwen Sayers

Lift the dust cover, gently. The centaur is old, in bits, you may lose some. His hooves paw straw in a glass case. They kick. Comb the feathering with care. Ears share a drawer with jet eyes and a warped arrow. Use a damp sponge. He still calls from his voice box for Scotch on the rocks. Ignore. Braid his white tail in a chunky plait, truss the chaos with ropes to secure. Rub his freckled back, curry his sides, soothe the scar on his neck with lanolin. When you polish his knuckles, forget your bruises. They're safe in the chest with dead ends, nightmares and shadows he fought. Air out these memories and fold away. Replace his musty shroud. Turn off the lights when you leave. He is happiest in the dark.

[marinerofthestars]

the zodai tag

bit of a late arrival to this fandom, but better late than never, i suppose!

1. How did you hear about the books? about a year ago, i was doing research on the zodiac for an urban fantasy project i’m working on, tales from omphalos, when i found the house ophiuchus info page on the zodiac website. unfortunately life got in the way and i forgot the series for a while, but a little while ago i remembered zodiac’s worldbuilding and got sucked right back in!

2. What is your favorite moment from the series so far? it’s hard to choose just one moment, but i’d have to say skarlet and rho’s first meeting in black moon for how atypical it is. we know skarlet is the hypotenuse in rho and hysan’s love triangle, but she doesn’t act like the stereotypical petty Other Woman at all. she’s charismatic, she’s genuinely fun to be around, and she has sympathetic motives and ambitions. above all, she’s actually super nice towards rho, and doesn’t let her feelings get in the way of their political collaboration. (and then thirteen rising assassinated her character. yes i am still bitter about it why do you ask)

3. Which House are you from? house leo!

4. What do you like about your House? artistry pride is something i’d really love to be a part of as an aspiring author, i have blaze and trax (both criminally underrated characters imo) as my housemates, and our zodai wield FLAMING SWORDS in battle. what’s not to love?

5. If you had to change Houses, which House would you pick? since leo really vibes with my passion for art, this is definitely a tricky question! probably either libra (police brutality is a thing of the past with bind, and their government seems like they have their act together), scorpio (much waterworld. much ambition. much cool tech. wow), or sagittarius (diversity, democracies where the voices of the young and non-complacent can be heard, and really vibrant cities are all things i appreciate)

6. Which system would you most like to visit? capricorn, no question. the zodiax is THE single most location in the entire zodiac bar none to me - an ancient complex the size of a planet, its oldest curators having access to transportation systems most inhabitants don’t even know about? an archive of humanity’s collective knowledge, so massive it has hotels and restaurants within it because leaving to sleep or eat is just so impractical? LET ME TOUR IT. LET ME UNCOVER ITS MYSTERIES I KNOW THEY EXIST (i think history is rad okay)

7. If you got to choose, which Zodiac technology would you like to have? probably...the tattoo? i don’t have anywhere enough knowledge about neuroscience/engineering to design my own, but assuming that i did, i’d love to design a tattoo that can interface with my brain and with digital art software, so that i can turn whatever ideas i have in my head into artwork!

8. Which character would you want as a best friend? skarlet. she’s six feet tall, buff as all hell, super attractive, prefers diplomacy to violence but still perfectly capable of kicking ass, and an outspoken risers’ rights activist. what’s not to love? (though knowing the type of people i usually hang out with, i’d probably end up with like. twain or gyzer as my best friend. one can dream though)

9. Which sign would you like to date? aries, because as previously stated skarlet is awesome. (a sentiment i will continue to reiterate) failing that, either libra for their sense of justice, scorpio for their ambition and passion, or aquarius for their innovative mindset.

10. Who do you hope Rho “ends up with?” (If anyone at all!) firstly, thank you for acknowledging that rho might not be interested in romance after everything she’s been through. (aromantic rho? arho?) secondly: skarlet.

this might be a little controversial, but i feel like in some regards, rho has far more chemistry with skarlet than she has with hysan. (ms. russell. i am sorry but. i have. Issues. with ‘centaur smile’ and the context surrounding it doesn’t make it any better) all of their interactions are marked by a noted admiration on rho’s part, and it’s not just merely admiration of her frankly enviable body (there’s more than enough of that, but it feels respectful somehow, there’s no five-page purple prosey ramblings on how the sweat glints on skar’s brow as she lifts weights, unlike with some people - sorry, mathias), but admiration of skar’s personality.

her charisma. her ambitions. her drive to fight for people who’ve been beaten down for millennia, to give a voice to the voiceless. to use violence as a last resort, not a first strike.

even at their absolute worst in thirteen rising, even when they’re butting heads, they don’t let it get in the way of doing what needs to be done. hell, skarlet even points out that she wouldn’t be giving rho such a hard time if she didn’t respect the hell out of rho, if she didn’t think she was tough enough to take it. there’s a sort of unspoken bond between them, a slow orbit that they’re both caught in. at the end of the series, they part way on relatively good terms, and with the hope that maybe, just maybe, that orbit might become something more than just professional acquaintance.

also their oppositional dichotomy of cardinal fire/water signs is an awesome aesthetic that i really wish was brought up more than it was in canon :( 

11. If you could record a Snow Globe, what would you put in it? only A snow globe? you’re not exactly giving me a lot of slack here in all seriousness, if i had to choose one moment to record in a snow globe, probably the moment i first came up with the idea for the urban fantasy project i mentioned above, tales from omphalos. i’ve never been devoted as much time to or invested as much energy in a project as i have with tfo, and i’d like to keep an easily accessible record of my original vision on hand. and hey, if by some chance i manage to follow in romina’s footsteps, get tales from omphalos professionally published, have it become a big success with a respectable fandom, i’d like to look back every once in a while, and remember how it all began.

12. If you had the chance to tell Rho anything, what advice/encouragement would you give her? - lies, especially lies of omission, are necessary a lot of the time to get ahead in politics and life in general use that being ahead to help out the people and groups you care about - don't trust the immortal child-aristocrats or expect them to behave in a way that won't inevitably screw you over - if you must play nice with them, figure out how to decrease gemini’s horrific income inequality, and see what you can do about exporting cell rejuvenation therapy to the wider zodiac - ferez is right, risers are the future and you need to acknowledge that going forward - skarlet is excellent at garnering support and bridging generational gaps, and while fernanda purecell is a bougie running dog, she’s got her head screwed on the right way regarding politics and institutional riserphobia; together, the three of you should be able to make some headway towards making amends for past wrongs - i don’t care if family heads have suffrage, matriarchal aristocracy (aristocratic matriarchy?) is NOT a democracy or a form of government that looks out for the rights of men/NB people/agender people/multigender people/intersex people/you get the idea - romance is by no means an exclusively two-player game, and skarlet has said she would be open to an arrangement; however, if you MUST insist on ignoring that polyamory is a thing, go for the six-foot risers' rights activist - i’m sorry about all the bullshit with your mom. whatever the end result was, whatever her intentions, it does not excuse the way she treated you and your dad and stanton. it’s okay to feel like shit because of what she did to you, and not being able to wall it off doesn’t make you weak or anything dumb like that - you’re already far stronger than she ever was. i know how much it sucks - i was in the same situation as you once - but believe me when i say that things do get better. you’re not alone here, rho. - please you gotta fight the gender binary you live in the FUTURE you gotta do it you gotta-

BONUS QUESTION 13. How would you react if your friend became a Riser? let them know that I love and support them no matter what their house, that being the way that they are is totally valid, and that anyone who says otherwise will have to answer to my fist in their face. if they’re unbalanced, make sure they have access to any resources they need (possibly including memory recap vlogs, definitely including medication and therapy to help out with any health issues they may develop).

[definegodliness]

Frumpification

frump[ fruhmp ]

noun

a person who is dowdy, drab, and unattractive.

a dull, old-fashioned person.

---

Today, I am coining the term because society’s frumpification annoys the fuck out of me. If you know a better term, please do create it. But first let me explain what’s going on, and why we need such a term in the first place to properly address the phenomenon and keep addressing it in the future. 

Ready? Lift off: 

The Norwegian Netflix show Ragnarok (which you should definitely go and watch, subbed not dubbed) gets a 16+ rating for some mild hints of erotica and violence. Sixteen plus! and not even a nipple in sight. Violence wise a couple of blood spatters. So I’m guessing it’s because of the one scene where cunnilingus is hinted. Female sexuality. Note that the woman is fully clothed, all you see is a face disappearing between her legs. Jeez. What is this 50′s mentality? No, wait, it’s even more old-fashioned: I just checked, and Disney’s Fantasia came out in 1940. These days the classical music inspired film is censored. 

Let me just say this. I’ll be sure to keep my original copy, because, if this goes on, in about 20 years I’m gonna have to be the anarchist hosting highly illegal dimly lit cellar parties, where the bohemian youths assemble to marvel upon the glory that is uncensored centaur nipples™. Good grief. Try and comprehend the ridiculousness, with some parentheses and a ‘c’ you can draw your own 40′s Disney styled centaur ta-tas on your keyboard if you wanted to. Sheer frumpification. 

John William Waterhouse’s masterpiece Hylas and the Nymphs was removed from the Manchester Art Gallery and dubbed ‘porn for the elite’. It’s infuriating. First of all because you’re reducing the 1896 masterpiece to simple smut for some skillfully applied brush strokes in pink depicting nipples. And second of all, to the curator; get off your high horse! Can you imagine? As if some ‘upper-class’ citizen would look upon any variety of ‘the commoners’ internet porn with disdain, and think to himself: “Psh, deplorable.” No, he strolls down town, complete with top-hat and cane, toward the Manchester Art Gallery, of all places, to drool over these nymph titties that are apparently more appropriate to his evidently greater social status. It seems our curator believes top-hat boy, after hours of gazing, will then hurry home, while the memory is still fresh, to then, and only then, but still, furiously masturbate like some sexually frustrated, socially isolated bonobo monkey. Fuck off. 

The feminine figure is being erased in all platforms of artistic expression. It won’t be long till we can’t even address breast cancer because some sheltered puritan simpleton can’t handle the funny feeling in his pants upon hearing the word ‘breasts’. This is what frumpification does. Abortion laws are being reconsidered. More and more, sex and sexuality are considered dirty again, and copulation’s only meant for procreation. None may enjoy it. Meanwhile kids still think the pull out method is effective because they’re not getting proper sexual education. See the vicious circle society’s creating? 

Can we put these things on the agenda? No. Because then we’d have normalize sex again as if it’s one of the most natural expressions of love and affection known to humans. 

Now, to end on a lighter note, and because spring is upon us, let me present you the modern-day forbidden, social media wise highly illegal, and overall smashing 1987′s hit song Boys boys boys, by Italian singer Sabrina:

[diceforanaltmode]

Team Horse Adventure 1: [Title Needed]

The Cast

Crankcase (orc fighter) by  Bex Fulcrum (changeling ranger) by Frosty  Misfire (aasimar bard) by Tuna Spinister (centaur cleric) by Space

The Story

Krok is sick and the scavs are out of money. He received a letter a few weeks ago from someone called “the curator”. She promised great wealth in exchange for “a small favor”. The team meets her at a tavern. She offers for them to sit down, but implies Spinister is incapable of sitting, which I think we can all agree is horse racist. She offers 50k gold for the magnificence, which none of the party have heard of. It was last seen in a decepticon outpost that was abandoned 10 years ago. The party discusses whether or not they should take this job for several minutes in front of her. Ultimately, they agree.

At some point in here, Spin makes the comment that "all you bipeds look the same to me." The irony of this is presumably lost on him.

The party sleeps. Spinister sleeps in the room, not the stables, and gets his muddy hooves all over the place. In the morning, the scavs set out.

It takes about 3 hours of hiking to get to the abandoned fort.

The door is locked but Crankcase easily breaks it.

There is an entryway with 2 doors and 2 staircases

The party enters the first room, which contains tables and a large pit full of spiderwebs from a giant spider. They take one quick estimate of the size of the spider and immediately leave.

They go back through the entryway into a room full of cots. From there they go into a storage room with sticky walls and floors. The door is locked, but the lock is weak and Crankcase smashes it. They take some potions and platemail.

"I'm not a dog who smashes things on command. I walk over to smash it" -Crankcase

They go through the storage room into an office, where they fight a large spider. The spider hates Fulcrum. After defeating it they find some letters, in common, and a notebook, in abyssal. The notebook is about failed attempts at making tree-cons, 'Cons made of trees. It's weird.

Back through the sickbay to the surgery, they find a stack of files with names they’ve never heard before on them. Spinister is stuck on the other side of the door thanks to a huge pile of rubble his big dumb horsebutt can't get over, so he has to shout through the door for the party to pick up the dang bonesaw so he can have a bonesaw. The bonesaw is a little melted, but they manage to pry it up mostly intact. Fulcrum, who is completely terrified of giving Spinister a bonesaw for some reason even though Spinister INSISTS "It's not malpractice if….. it's not malpractice", dubs himself keeper of the bonesaw, to hang onto the bonesaw except in cases of medical emergencies.

"You need to give me a bone saw, Fulcrum! I promise I'll only use it on you for medical purposes"-Spinister

Upstairs dining room -> communal living area, find some money, a letter they don’t care about, a paperweight, and some books on poisons. Spinister takes one. Fulcrum hastily tosses the bonesaw into one of the foot lockers, but Spinister doesn’t notice. Misfire notices. Misfire disapproves.

Back through the dining room to kitchen. It smells bad. Misfire finds a cookbook ("Book of Recipe") and Spinister detects poison (really fucking bad food) on the other side of a cabinet door the party does not go through. Spinister looks through the cookbook for a chicken soup recipe for Krok, and finds one, which calls for among other things one whole chicken, plucked and deboned. Spinister informs Fulcrum he needs a chicken and the bonesaw. Fulcrum successfully stalls.

Back through the dining room to hallway -> private bedrooms

1st room has been cleaned out and has a very large bed with purple sheets. Fulcrum finds a sketchy note.

2nd room has some clothes but nothing especially valuable or useful. Misfire hides under the bed with the dust bunnies and pretends to be a ghost. The rest of the scavs leave him there.

3rd room has some giant beetles, but they’re easily dispatched. The party takes a silver bowl from a shrine of Epistemus. Spinister takes a scalpel in weirdly good condition from the shrine, but Fulcrum again thinks it's a good idea to deprive Spinister of high-quality medical supplies. Spinister holds the scalpel above his head in the classic big brother keep-away play because he's seven fucking feet tall, to which Fulcrum responds by kicking Spin in his horse knees. His weak and flimsy elf feet bounce like wayward bugs off a slow-moving vehicle. Spinister gives him a Look, and then turns around and puts Fulcrum in the "oh my god seriously do not ever stand directly behind a horse they will FUCK YOU UP" zone, but he gets a 2 on his intimidation check so he just kinda spins around like a dumbass. Fulcrum stands on the shrine, which isn't going to piss off any gods at ALL, and gets a much more successful intimidate check by channeling Krok and wordlessly holding out his hand for the scalpel. Spinister caves and hands it over, and Fulcrum immediately tosses it out the window. You will be mourned, cool scalpel. You will be mourned.

The party goes back to the library and Misfire finds a hole in the side of the pit. Misfire, Fulcrum and Crankcase find a hidden room attached to the storage room with tanks of green goo and motionless wooden men. Except like, they aren't motionless, because they kinda sway weirdly when the party asks if the Magnificence is in here? I dunno man Spin wasn't there for that part.

The party collects all the documents in the fortress for the curator, whose name they never got, and leaves.

[that-bookworm-guy]

Harry Potter: A History Of Magic Harry Potter: A Journey Through A History of Magic ★★★★★

I Never review 2 books at once, even series I review a book at a time. However these 2 work best as a pair and are very very similar.

Harry Potter: A History Of Magic

Harry Potter: A History of Magic is the official book of the exhibition, a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling and the brilliant curators of the British Library. It promises to take readers on a fascinating journey through the subjects studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - from Alchemy and Potions classes through to Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. Each chapter showcases a treasure trove of artefacts from the British Library and other collections around the world, beside exclusive manuscripts, sketches and illustrations from the Harry Potter archive. There's also a specially commissioned essay for each subject area by an expert, writer or cultural commentator, inspired by the contents of the exhibition - absorbing, insightful and unexpected contributions from Steve Backshall, the Reverend Richard Coles, Owen Davies, Julia Eccleshare, Roger Highfield, Steve Kloves, Lucy Mangan, Anna Pavord and Tim Peake, who offer a personal perspective on their magical theme. Readers will be able to pore over ancient spell books, amazing illuminated scrolls that reveal the secret of the Elixir of Life, vials of dragon's blood, mandrake roots, painted centaurs and a genuine witch's broomstick, in a book that shows J.K. Rowling's magical inventions alongside their cultural and historical forebears.

Harry Potter: A Journey Through A History of Magic

An irresistible romp through the history of magic, from alchemy to unicorns, ancient witchcraft to Harry's Hogwarts - packed with unseen sketches and manuscript pages from J.K. Rowling, magical illustrations from Jim Kay and weird, wonderful and inspiring artefacts that have been magically released from the archives at the British Library. This spellbinding book takes readers on a journey through the Hogwarts curriculum, including Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, Divination and more. Discover the truth behind making the Philosopher's Stone, create your very own potion and uncover the secret of invisible ink. Learn all about the history of mandrake roots and dragons, discover what witches really used their brooms for, pore over incredible images of actual mermaids and read about real-life potions, astronomers and alchemists. 

These books share a lot of the same content, which makes sense because they’re both about the same thing, the exhibition.

However I found A History Of Magic was a lot more detailed and A Journey Through had a few different things in it and was less detailed, but was more or less only slightly different.

Now enough about the difference, I’m going to review these as if they were 1 book....

The amount of amazing items they showed in the books were incredible, it was brilliant to see where magic stemmed from and what actual witches used to do. Reading about the artefacts was extremely interesting and I really would have loved to actually see them. I also loved seeing some of the illustrations from the illustrated books as the artists progressed, showing us their ideas and thought process. It brings them into a completely new light. 

I loved reading some of the unpublished chapters and seeing all the editing notes on them, I feel like that is really going to help me edit my own work.

I don’t want to give too much information away about these because they really are something that you need to experience for yourself, but these are honestly 100x better than I thought they would be. 

| A History Of Magic | A Journey Through A History of Magic |

You can follow and support me on: | Goodreads | Ko-fi | Bookstagram |

[my-house-of-fashion]

“Social distancing isn’t behaving distantly”: how designers can deal with coronavirus

https://s3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/centaur-wp/designweek/prod/content/uploads/2020/03/13152059/Banner-image-16.jpg

The UK government has now moved into the “delay” phase of the coronavirus pandemic, as the official number of infected people reached over 600 (though many more undiagnosed cases are likely). While containment measures differ from country to country — such as school closures and limits to public gatherings — a prominent concern is the impact on working life. We talk to designers about how their work might be disrupted, possible solutions — and what the virus’ long-term impact might be.

“It was the greater purpose that swayed us”

There appears to be a consensus among design studios that remote working is the best approach. Simon Manchipp is founder and strategic creative director at studio Someone, whose workforce started to work from home today. He says: “We had many conversations about it, but in the end, it was the greater purpose that swayed us. While all of the company staff are young(ish!), fit and healthy — and therefore not immediately in the crosshairs of danger — it’s the bigger picture we felt that needed to be responded to responsibly.

“This is an exponential threat. Every day counts. When you’re delaying by a single day you’re not contributing to a few cases. There are possibly hundreds or thousands of cases in your community already. Every day that there isn’t social distancing, these cases grow exponentially. We’re in London — and the commute puts you in front of a lot of opportunities for the virus.

“Plus (and possibly most notable) — we can. We are not front line, we are not needed to be physically there for many meetings, the work is done remotely, not on-site and just as the thousands of Google staff worldwide have taken to their laptops and gone home without great effect to their products and services — we too can keep on serving our clients very well without the need for us to be in a single space all day, every day.”

Some believe that “flattening the curve” like this is the best way to mitigate the damage caused by the virus. It works on scientific predictions about the likely number of cases; if events are cancelled, and precautions taken, it might be possible to stretch out that number over a longer time period, thereby allowing people to have more access to care which could save lives.

Our #FlattenTheCurve graphic is now up on @Wikipedia with proper attribution & a CC-BY-SA licence. Please share far & wide and translate it into any language you can! Details in the thread below. #Covid_19 #COVID2019 #COVID19 #coronavirus Thanks to @XTOTL & @TheSpinoffTV pic.twitter.com/BQop7yWu1Q

— Dr Siouxsie Wiles (@SiouxsieW) March 10, 2020

“You don’t need much more than FaceTime, Slack, Dropbox and a good internet connection”

It is relatively easy for most studios to work remotely, thanks to technology. Manchipp says that the messaging app Slack is a “great tool” for this situation. The team of 30 has been using it since its launch and has found it a “terrific way to unite remote workers” as well as clients. It used it on its project for rebranding the UK Parliament, as a way to “integrate” the client’s design team with Someone’s own.

Jo Barnard, founder of product design company Morrama, echoes this: “You don’t need much more than FaceTime, Slack, Dropbox and a good internet connection to be able to work remotely nowadays.”

However, design studios frequently work collaboratively, and this is a concern for Barnard. She continues: I’ve always been of the belief that sketch sessions, project reviews and design crits are best carried out in person.”

There is also a potential problem of loneliness and impact on wellbeing, as creatives are forced to work remotely.

A chance to reassess working life?

Despite its challenges — and it is perhaps too early to identify all of them — this could be a chance to rethink how designers work. Barnard says: “Having to rethink your work style isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Who knows, maybe we will establish permanent practices that will make us better designers and a better team in the long run. As for supporting each other emotionally and psychologically, this is going to be crucial.”

This view is echoed by Craig Glass, creative director of brand experience at branding studio CBA London, says that this could be a chance to explore the possibility of “virtual studios”. “The experience of creating virtual studios without traditional boundaries will influence how we design for the future,” he says.

Glass continues: “The human element is central to any creative’s work. So much creativity and inspiration come out of face-to-face observation, collaboration, discussion as well as the energy of live sketching. The biggest creative challenge lies in using digital tools to replicate in real-time these principles and experiences.”

Some of these digital tools are already in place at studios. At Seymourpowell, “big-screen video portals” connect the design studio’s three UK locations in London, Scotland and Newcastle.

Craig Bunyan, creative strategist at the London office says: “Because they are always on and positioned to be part of the team, it often feels like the Scotland and Newcastle teams are closer than the teams which are across the hall.

“One of things that we feel we gain most from this portal solution is being able to facilitate that unscripted water cooler moment, which is so crucial to the creative process but can be incredibly difficult to capture during a phone call or using more traditional video conferencing.”

How to maintain “instant sparks” while working remotely

Nick Vaus, a creative director at design studio Free The Birds, says that the team will be working to maintain “instant sparks” amid the possibility of feeling “disconnected”.

He says: “We are all fortunate that we are able to work from home. However, while technology connects us, the instant sparks of bouncing ideas off one another may feel flat and disconnected.

Our home at Free The Birds is our collective workspace, a safe environment to nurture our beautiful thinking. So our working from home mission is to ensure that we can migrate this into everyone’s homes.”

Having spent the past week in preparation, creating remote access, chatrooms and testing out workspace platform, the studio now has a list of methods to ensure a routine. This includes ways to ensure a community spirit is maintained such as hosting its usual 9:30am meeting together and setting its usual afternoon “teaser questions”.

It extends to social aspects too. “No doubt we will be sharing what we are having for lunch,” Vaus says. “The team even want to arrange a Friday kitchen disco session.” And creativity will not be dimmed as they will be “designing the most creative backgrounds when video conferencing”.

Consultancy service Econsultancy and Marketing Week magazine recently surveyed the digital and marketing industries and found that “70% of marketers believe remote working requires training in best practise to be effective — and that rapid training is either important or critical.” Using that research, it has created a free webinar in “best practice remote working”, which will cover areas such as maximising efficiency when working from home, setting up a team to work remotely and managing agency relationships. It runs Wednesday 18 March at 2pm.

Product design: “There is little to be done but wait”

Some design sector’s problem go beyond remote working solutions. For Jo Barnard, whose product design studio relies on material sourcing, coronavirus will likely have serious impact. She says: “We naturally have a lot of projects dependent on our supplies in China so COVID-19 has caused complications. China has done an incredible job of containing the disease and minimising impact on trade and production.

“As travel bans mean that overseeing the manufacture of new projects in the East in person is going to be impossible for a long while, trust and good communication with our manufacturing partners is key.”

A supply chain consultant told Design Week that the economic repercussions on companies from coronavirus are likely to be “severe”. One way to mitigate these concerns could be for companies to create more “agile” supply chains.

Event cancellations and postponements: “I now find myself in a situation where projects face growing uncertainty”

The events sector of the industry has been hit by cancellations and postponements; among them the Geneva Motor Show, which was cancelled, and Milan’s Salone del Mobile, which has been postponed to June.

Anne-Laure Pingeoun is the founder of Alter-Projects, a branding consultancy that creates “social experiences”. She is also the curator of the French pavilion at the London Design Biennale, the third edition of which takes place in September.

Pingeoun says: “As a curator producing complex projects at festivals and events around the globe, I now find myself in a situation where projects face growing uncertainty. Cancellations and postponements have made it incredibly difficulty to be able to predict a production schedule. A larger number of my projects are later in the spring or autumn, so I’m watching how the situation progresses.”

One positive note? Pingeoun is “using the opportunity to reconnect and collaborate with my London network”.

What should freelancers do?

In this week’s budget, the chancellor Rishi Sunak, announced measures which aim to support SMEs during the pandemic. Firms with fewer than 250 employees will have sick pay paid directly by the Government for two weeks. Relief for emergency loans and cash grants up to £3,000 were also announced.

But for those who are self-employed or working in the gig economy, it might be a little more difficult to access that relief. Although sick pay would be extended to people on “all types of contract”, they will have to do so by accessing welfare. However, the chancellor also said that this process would be made easier, and Employment and Support Allowance will be claimable from day one rather than the eighth of leave as it was previously. The minimum income for universal credit has been temporarily removed and this process can be organised over the phone or online, reducing the need for face-to-face contact.

Ipse, the association of independent professionals and the self-employment, published advice for freelancers in the wake of the budget. While it says that it cannot offered detailed recommendations, it does say to start discussing preparations with clients now and work out how the virus might affect contractual obligations.

The association also advises freelancers to check “what health or income protection insurance they may have in place”. While there are options available for those who are not currently covered, options usually have a deferral period of three to four weeks and “may not provide appropriate cover” for those who are forced to self-isolate.

The post “Social distancing isn’t behaving distantly”: how designers can deal with coronavirus appeared first on Design Week.

Source link

from http://www.houseoffashion.co.za/social-distancing-isnt-behaving-distantly-how-designers-can-deal-with-coronavirus/

[shropsnews4u]

Shrewsbury + Treasure declared in Shropshire at virtual inquest

Treasure has been declared by Mr Ellery, HM Senior Coroner for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin at an inquest held last week.

In what may be the first treasure COVID-19 inquest for the country, Mr Ellery heard evidence via video conference from the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and one of the finders about two recent finds in Shropshire.

Iron Age Ring from Frodesley, Shropshire

This small and delicate gold ring, designed to be worn on the finger, was discovered in the Frodesley area of Shropshire. Frodesley sits between the Iron Age hillfort of Caer Caradoc, near Church Stretton and the river Severn, both of which are within sight of the Wrekin – thought to be the regional capital of the Iron Age Tribe the Cornovii.

The ring was found by Christopher Mussell whilst metal detecting and is relatively plain and unadorned. It comprises a simple D sectioned circlet of gold formed into a distinctive V shape which when placed on the finger creates a distinctive zig-zag shape.

The Treasure Report written by Angie Bolton (PAS) and Dr Julia Farley (Curator at the British Museum) describes the ring as being similar to other larger and heavier British finds and note that this form of ring is more commonly seen in continental Europe – especially Switzerland where they are known to date to the period 400-200 BC. This suggests that the British finds could either be imported from the continent (given as a gift or exchanged during trade) or be a local copy of this continental style.

The British Museum science team examined the ring using non-destructive X-Ray florescence and found that the composition of the surface of the ring consisted of 85-87% gold, 8-10% silver with the rest being made up of copper.

Peter Reavill, Finds Liaison Officer for Shropshire, said:

“Very few finds of Iron Age date have been made within the county and those formed of precious metal and exceedingly rare.

“Responsible metal detecting has increased the number in the last 20 years and it is brilliant that Shropshire Museums’ will hopefully acquire this through the treasure process.

“We know the county has amazingly rich prehistoric and specifically Iron Age archaeology with numerous important hillforts – what we don’t have is a great understanding of where these people lived, traded and farmed – this tiny personal object throws a beam of light onto the individual who once wore it. We will never know their name or what they thought or looked like, but a little bit of who they were may be displayed in the museum for all to see.”

Shropshire Museums’ have expressed an interest in acquiring the find under the Treasure Act to be displayed in their prehistory galleries at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery.

Silver gilt Medieval Brooch from Bridgnorth

This brooch is also very small, but is packed full of beautiful craftsmanship and detail.

It was discovered by Mark Lambert on farmland near Bridgnorth whilst metal detecting, and was reported to Rebecca Griffiths – North Yorkshire FLO for the PAS – who wrote the treasure report for the coroner.

The brooch is hexagonal in shape measuring 24mm x 27mm and weighing 6.1 grams. The frame is made up of two opposing rearing centaurs (a mythical beast formed of half man / half horse). Each centaur is joined by their rear leg and their upper semi-naked human torsos form the edges of the frame. Both centaurs hold streaming club like pennants (banners) which join centrally at the top. The original pin is lost.

Similar openwork brooches with high relief designs comprising pairs of interlinked humans or animals date from the 13th century (AD 1200-1300). Several similar brooches are known – although none are exactly the same as this Shropshire example. The original pin of the brooch may have looped around the arm or waist of one centaur or possibly fixed at an angle around one pennant. It is equally possible give the significant number of pierced holes that the brooch was sewn to a garment almost like a badge.

Peter Reavill (Finds Liaison Officer, British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme) said:

“Given the small size of the brooch, a huge amount of incised and carved detail is present; this can be seen especially around the face and head showing the skill and craftsmanship of the original maker. The brooch has hardly any wear on it and looks almost as good as the day it was lost some 800 years ago.”

Shropshire Museums’ have expressed an interest in acquiring this brooch with the hope of displaying it either in the Medieval Gallery at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery or at Much Wenlock Museum.

Now both these finds have been declared treasure they will be valued by the DCMS treasure valuation committee.

More detailed information as well as images of the finds please see the links below:

Frodesley Ring:                    https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/932813

Bridgnorth Brooch               https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/944553

    The post Treasure declared in Shropshire at virtual inquest appeared first on Shropshire Council Newsroom.

https://ift.tt/3bO6TOt

[con-or-bust]

Hardcover copy of Harry Potter: A History of Magic from the British Library

Item Name and Description:

One Hardcover copy of Harry Potter: A History of Magic, the exhibition catalog for the 2017 exhibition at the British Library

Starting Bid: 20.00

Shipping: Ships worldwide. Free shipping within the US. For shipping outside the US, please add an additional $20 donation to Con Or Bust.

Other Notes:  Description after the cut.

Harry Potter: A History of Magic is the official book of the exhibition, a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling and the brilliant curators of the British Library. It promises to take readers on a fascinating journey through the subjects studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – from Alchemy and Potions classes through to Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.

Each chapter showcases a treasure trove of artefacts from the British Library and other collections around the world, beside exclusive manuscripts, sketches and illustrations from the Harry Potter archive. There’s also a specially commissioned essay for each subject area by an expert, writer or cultural commentator, inspired by the contents of the exhibition – absorbing, insightful and unexpected contributions from Steve Backshall, the Reverend Richard Coles, Owen Davies, Julia Eccleshare, Roger Highfield, Steve Kloves, Lucy Mangan, Anna Pavord and Tim Peake – who offer a personal perspective on their magical theme.

Readers will be able to pore over ancient spell books, amazing illuminated scrolls that reveal the secret of the elixir of life, vials of dragon’s blood, mandrake roots, painted centaurs and a genuine witch’s broomstick, in a book that shows J.K. Rowling’s magical inventions alongside their cultural and historical forebears.This is the ultimate gift for Harry Potter fans, curious minds, big imaginations, bibliophiles and readers around the world who missed out on the chance to see the exhibition in person.