Monday, May 21, 2007
Cutty Sark
I used to live near the Cutty Sark. I gasped whenever I saw it and now it is on fire. No reconstruction will fit the bill; the whole point of this beautiful ship was that it was real.
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A blog about, among other things, imaginary ideas - What ifs? and Imagine thats. What if photographs looked nothing like what we see with our eyes? Imagine that the Berlin Wall had never come down. What if we were the punchline of an interminable joke? All contributions welcome.
Yes, this is a true pity. And who would have thought that she was built with steel struts. Which must have made her stronger and very much lighter. A sort of Concord of her day.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that most of the upper timberwork was removed off site for renovation, and much of her bottomwork would have been replaced over the years, so maybe the soul of her has been saved. Hope so, anyway.
My brother-in-law is currently engaged in renovating it. I suspect his contract will now need to be extended somewhat.
ReplyDeleteActually, would it matter that much if it was largely repro/replacement? I once went to see the original Guthenberg press - it was on display on the South Bank somewhere - and I even had a sheet printed on it(now lost). I don't suppose what I saw contained a single part of the original press - but it was still the Guthenberg press. Wasn't it?
ReplyDeleteAh, deep waters, Nige. But is there not something to be said for the craftsman's hand. Good lord, Brit, you are so well connected.
ReplyDeleteBryan, I'm with you. No recontruction, for example, of a Roman mosaic floor speaks to me in the same way as an original one, even if pieces are missing or damaged. There was art in the Cutty Sark
ReplyDelete...reminiscent of Trigger's Broom!
ReplyDeleteThere's a historiographical thought experiment (hey!) that's relevant here:
ReplyDeleteWhen my father died, I inherited his knife. I use in on the holidays and other special occasions to carve the turkey. A few years after I got it, I realized that the blade was nicked and I had it replaced. About ten years ago, the handle cracked in the dishwasher, and I had to have it replaced. I will always treasure my father's knife, and pass it on to my son in turn.