The Courtauld Digital Media Blog

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Kersting’s Modern Quirks – A Visual Essay'. The post was written by Verity Babbs, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 19 July 2019. Verity also reads the audio version. Originally published as a visual essay, Verity has added audio description to the images. In this blog, Verity compares photographs by An...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Finsbury, Lubetkin’s Socialist Utopia'. The post was written by Aya Bolt, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 7 August 2019. The audio version is read by Christopher Williams. In this blog, Aya Bolt discusses the inter-war re-design of the Spa Green Estate, Finsbury, London, by Berthold Lubetkin and his a...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Agnes Conway 1885–1950'. The post was written by John Ramsey, a digitisation project volunteer, and was first published on 20 March 20. The audio version is read by Amanda Roberts. In this blog, John delves into the memoires of Agnes Conway, daughter of Martin Conway, founder of the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Agnes was a trailblaze...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Sharing and Caring. Beautiful Damaged Negatives'. The post was written by Faye Fornasier, digitisation project manager, and was first published on 10 July 2017. The audio version is read by Elena Vardon. In this blog, Faye discusses the effect of time and temperature variation on some of Anthony Kersting's negatives. The digitisation process will capture...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'On the Wellington Arch'. The post was written by digitisation volunteer John Ramsey, and was first published on 23 August 2018. The audio version is also read by John. In this blog, John is prompted by a nineteenth-century Conway Library photograph of Hyde Park Corner to examine the history of one of London's landmarks, and the Wellington statue that onc...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'A Love Affair With Canada'. The post was written by digitisation volunteer Sabrina Gardiner, and was first published on 20 February 2019. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Tanya Goodman-Bailey. In this blog, Sabrina recounts her visits to Canada, and reflects on how the photographs of Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Toronto made her fall in lo...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Interpreting the Conway Library With BeyondAutism'. The post was written by Sarah Way, who at the time of writing was Volunteer Manager on the digitisation project, and was first published on 13 September 2019. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Gill Stoker. In this blog, Sarah reflects on a day spent with students and staff at BeyondAut...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Contested Spaces: Capturing Modernist Architecture In Postcolonial India'. The post was written by Corinna Summers, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 1 February 2020. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Christopher Williams. In this blog, Corinna discusses the "relationship between the a...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Winning And Losing – Photographs Of Works Of Art'. The post was written by Lara Drew, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 3 April 2020. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Fran Nardone. In this blog, Lara considers the cultural effect of reproducing works of art in photographs: can a photo...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'The Oxen of Laon Cathedral'. The post was written by digitisation volunteer John Ramsey, and was first published on 3 January 2020. The audio version is also read by John. In this blog, John delves into medieval scholarship and folklore to propose why Laon Cathedral, France, is unusually adorned with sixteen life-sized statues of oxen. You can find the w...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'The Man Who Wasn’t There: portraiture through the eyes of Anthony Kersting'. The post was written by Alia Ahmad, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 18 December 2017. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Francesca Humi. In this blog, Alia can't resist looking through hundreds of boxes of ph...

This is the audio version of the blog post '“The New Towns Are No Longer New” – Basildon In The Conway Archive'. The post was written by digitisation volunteer Ben Britton, and was first published on 21 February 2020. The audio version is also read by Ben. In this blog, Ben muses on the unfortunate fate of the reputation of "New Towns" in Britain, which were conceived of as utopic communities, fil...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Journey Through Materiality – Communicating Familiarity And Distance'. The post was written by Peyton Cherry, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 1 July 2019. The audio version is read by Peyton. In this blog, Peyton contemplates intimacy in the photographs of Anthony Kersting, held in the Conway Library....

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Anthony Kersting and The Picturesque'. The post was written by digitisation volunteer Irma Delmonte, and was first published on 18 June 2019. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer John Ramsey. In this blog, Irma examines how photographs by Anthony Kersting, held in the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art, reveal the photographe...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'The Steiner Guide To Steiner – A Mini Waldorf Textbook For The Courtauld'. The post was written by Tallulah Griffith, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 13 February 2020. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Gill Stoker. In this blog, Tallulah explains her creation 'The Steiner Guide To St...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Modernity In The Conway'. The post was written by digitisation volunteer Lorraine Stoker, and was first published on 7 November 2018. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Anna Thompson. In this blog, Lorraine finds some of her favourite examples of modernist architecture in the Conway Library at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Taking in th...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Unexpected Music In The Conway Library'. The post was written by digitisation volunteer Ferhat Ulusu, and was first published on 29 May 2019. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Christopher Williams. In this blog, Ferhat reviews the evening of music organised by students and staff at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Following Ferh...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Looking Through Different Laws Of Landscape'. The post was written by Alia Ahmad, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 4 December 2017. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Verity Babbs. In this blog, Alia considers the presentation of landscape in the works of three artists: paintings by Éd...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Meeting The Photographer’s Gaze – Absence And Presence In Anthony Kersting’s Images Of Nepal'. The post was written by Samuel Cheney, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 12 July 2019. The audio version is read by Samuel. In this blog, Sam examines photographs taken by Anthony Kersting in Nepal in 1971. Sa...

This is the audio version of the blog post '“I Suppose It’s Not The Place’s Fault”'. The post was written by Sophie Bailey, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 26 July 2019. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Elena Vardon. In this blog, Sophie explains the vision of the post-war town planners as they created "New Towns". She notes...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Church Of St James The Great, South Leigh'. The post was written by digitisation volunteer John Ramsey, and was first published on 23 October 2018. The audio version is also read by John. In this blog, John follows the trail set by a beautiful photograph of a Church wall painting, captured by Anthony Kersting. Kersting's detailed photograph, taken in 199...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'On Digitising at the Courtauld'. The post was written by digitisation volunteer Mary Caple, and was first published on 8 May 2017. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Tanya Goodman-Bailey. In this blog, Mary explains some of the key processes that go into the Conway Library digitisation project: from initial sorting and labelling (otherwi...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Catching The Photographer'. The post was written by Isabella Lill, who did a student placement with the digitisation project, and was first published on 2 August 2019. The audio version is read by digitisation volunteer Anna Thompson. In this blog, Isabella discusses the questions raised by catching glimpses of photographers in the Conway Library. Most p...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'A Sculpture in Canterbury Cathedral'. The post was written by John Ramsey, a digitisation project volunteer, and was first published on 17 April 2020. John also read the audio version. In this blog, John discusses possible meanings in a curious 11th-century carving on a pillar in Canterbury Cathedral crypt. What are we to make of the strange animals and...

This is the audio version of the blog post 'Camera, Obscured: The Fine Art Photography Of Paul Laib'. The post was written by Mary Caple, a digitisation project volunteer, and was first published on 16 August 2017. The audio version is read by Anna Thompson. In this blog, Mary explains the process of putting together an exhibition of photographs from the Paul Laib collection, held at the Courtauld...