Proost.
We’ve finally had our proper First Day At TypeMedia – the official kick-off that I at least had really been longing for by now. It was great to see everyone in one place, learn more about the other students and their diverse backgrounds and stories (my presentation was a bit shit, I had spent too much time on the slides and not enough on memorizing what I wanted to say with them… but I made up for that a bit with the good Swiss chocolate). We also got some practical info (class schedules), got some cleaning-up done (“I think I just got mousepoop on myself!”) and then beer and foosball. In addition to most of our teachers, last year’s Diana and Barbara came by to visit (and raise the current female quota / shrieking volume).
Turns out we still have to do a bit of work for the Interior Architecture project next week. Fortunately, what Josh and I’s group is doing is by now pretty much solved on a conceptual level, and all that remains is execution – something that just isn’t very scary anymore after all the experience this old-feeling person has had. Seriously, it’s funny to realize, coming back from the other side, what a very different context art school is compared to work. I have to get used to it again, the gummy briefings and lax organisation, but also the amazing time, emphasis on process, and freedom to play that potentially feels like quite a gift.
That project is all about reusing, recycling, repurposing existing materials from an abandoned office building. Quite fitting then that we’re heading from that straight into our first project for type]media proper: the revival. Unfortunately we have to skip the first lesson because Paul is stuck on an airport somewhere, but he gave us a task: Find pre-1945 books with text typefaces we’d like to revive. Mark F. and I (we’re calling him Deutschmark now to disambiguate from the other Mark aka “Belgian Boy” – I think they’re both not very happy with that) took the opportunity to hit the fabulous Haagse boekenmarkt again today for some book-scouting. I found an amazing book which I’m fully expecting to be in my dreams tonight, but which I didn’t buy because expensive and now I’m kicking myself and no, I won’t tell you what it would have been. The quest continues tomorrow.
The break is over, and so is the waiting. Classes are starting, I’m registered at the immigration bureau, I’m settling into my apartment. And I spend much time with those who’ll be My People for the next year, and I quite like them all already. In many ways, I have arrived. And it’s good.
Some of today’s cool book spottings.
The gang. Well, part of it.
This is great Nina! I’m glad you are feeling good, I think I would be a bundle of nerves and generally not handling all the unknowns, so it’s great to hear you are starting off well :-)