This is the boat basin in Limehouse, in East London, where the Regent's Canal ends. This basin empties directly into the Thames.
There are walking paths around the basin, and during my walk on Sunday I found these overlooking the water:
Three tiny heads, installed beneath a railing and thus protected from foot traffic. They're only a couple of inches high and I'd have easily missed them, except that a French guy walking in front of me kneeled down to take some pictures. Les yeux d'un aigle!
They seem to be dated 2011, but I can't find any information about their creator. They're located in front of a bronze foundry where sculptures are cast, so I'm sure someone there is responsible. There's a good close-up image in this blog post about the canal, but no artist is identified.
A mystery!
I spent a lot of yesterday weeding more non-fiction. I've discovered some interesting things about our materials. For example, our Saudi Arabia section was woefully out of date -- we had several big books but all of them were at least 25 years old. So we bought some new ones and discarded what we had.
One of the factors that helps me decide whether to discard a book is how recently it has been used. But it's a sliding scale, because in some sections, things just don't move much. For example, Canadian history -- for whatever reason, our students just don't do much about Canada, and if I chucked everything that hadn't been checked out in the last ten or fifteen years there'd be nothing left. American Indians, too -- you'd think an American school would study Native American culture more thoroughly, but our books on those subjects just don't get used much.
It's also interesting to see how research has changed. We date-stamp each book when it's checked out, and by skimming the stamps we can see when it's been used. A lot of the books are used pretty heavily all through the 1990s, but in the 2000s the stamps become less frequent, and after about 2010 many of them stop altogether. I'm sure that's because kids are going online for their information now -- although sometimes their teachers require them to use books as well, so we need to keep good sources on paper.
They seem to be dated 2011, but I can't find any information about their creator. They're located in front of a bronze foundry where sculptures are cast, so I'm sure someone there is responsible. There's a good close-up image in this blog post about the canal, but no artist is identified.
A mystery!
I spent a lot of yesterday weeding more non-fiction. I've discovered some interesting things about our materials. For example, our Saudi Arabia section was woefully out of date -- we had several big books but all of them were at least 25 years old. So we bought some new ones and discarded what we had.
One of the factors that helps me decide whether to discard a book is how recently it has been used. But it's a sliding scale, because in some sections, things just don't move much. For example, Canadian history -- for whatever reason, our students just don't do much about Canada, and if I chucked everything that hadn't been checked out in the last ten or fifteen years there'd be nothing left. American Indians, too -- you'd think an American school would study Native American culture more thoroughly, but our books on those subjects just don't get used much.
It's also interesting to see how research has changed. We date-stamp each book when it's checked out, and by skimming the stamps we can see when it's been used. A lot of the books are used pretty heavily all through the 1990s, but in the 2000s the stamps become less frequent, and after about 2010 many of them stop altogether. I'm sure that's because kids are going online for their information now -- although sometimes their teachers require them to use books as well, so we need to keep good sources on paper.
Oh, how I love those heads! The foundry classes sound like fun. I'd definitely take some if I lived there.
ReplyDeleteYou could do (well, you already are) an interesting study of changes in reading habits in the digital age.
I bet working in a foundry would be miserable. Loud and hot!
DeleteI used to visit Sheffield's Central Library and indeed our local library pretty regularly. Now I never go and this is all because of the internet. As for the little heads - what a marvellous detail in the urban landscape.
ReplyDeleteThere's no doubt that library use has changed dramatically. Fortunately there are people like me who still prefer paper books, at least for fiction. I do feel sad about all the beautiful old non-fiction books (especially he pictorial ones) that now serve less of a purpose.
DeleteThose heads creep me out. Didn't they bury people like that - alive with just the head sticking out? And the real sickos then kicked them (in the head). Forget the image. As will I.
ReplyDeleteI could kiss you (from two meters afar): You still date stamp books physically? I could cry. In nostalgia. From my earliest days of frequenting libraries I always looked at the date stamps. Don't know why. There was a sort of comfort in it. Now? Now nothing. Empty. You scan out (at our library) and that's it. No visible trace left. Soulless.
U
I didn't think of the torture image! LOL! And yes, we still stamp books, mainly because it helps us keep track of how often they're checked out.
DeleteI should add that I love to read the old stamps in some books. There's a lot of history there! Remember when you used to have to sign your name on the card in the back of a book to check it out? That's REALLY going back. We have some of those old cards framed in the library.
DeleteI like the tiny heads but aren't they a tripping hazard? I thought of Anthony Gormley when I saw them but like you can't find anything online about them.
ReplyDeleteOh the memories of getting the library book stamped, I would love to go back to those times when you could rifle through drawers of tickets to find books. In actual fact I think it was quicker than the computers now when they keep locking up. lol
Briony
x
They're underneath a railing, so no one will walk right where they are. They are a bit Gormley-like, but they're more textured and detailed than his very minimalist figures.
DeleteLove those heads - little touches that make our environment so much better. Brilliant I think.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Finding art like this adds a little spark of joy to the everyday.
DeleteI have a librarian joke for you:
ReplyDeleteI asked the librarian for a book about Pavlov's dog and Schroedinger's cat. He said it rang a bell but he wasn't sure if it was there or not.
There. You can now resume your regularly scheduled Wednesday things.
Ha! Love it!
DeleteHadn't realized till now that you worked at an American school, Steve.
ReplyDeleteGood thing they have you there to translate.
Yes, it's an American school with an American curriculum.
DeleteThose tiny heads are crazy good! I belong to a FB group about weird secondhand finds and people are constantly finding things that everyone seems to agree are cursed and horribly dangerous because of the devil being in them or something. These are jokes, sort of, but they drive me crazy. Your little guys are not creepy except in the best way.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you're right about people finding their resources online.
I found a little cloth doll once, many years ago, and a blog commenter told me to throw it away immediately. She thought it had bad juju. I always thought that was funny.
DeleteI love the wee heads. I love the idea of things you might miss by not being present, but you didn't!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I would have missed them entirely if that guy in front of me hadn't seen them. He gets full credit!
DeleteThe little heads are a bit startling and I had to look up the French words to see what they say!
ReplyDeleteYou know ... they don't even teach OUR school kids about the American Indians! There is a rich history that one must discover on their own when learning about OUR Native American Indians!!
It's so surprising that Native Americans don't get more traction in schools. I think our school used to do a unit on Aztecs and Mayans, but even those books don't get used as much now.
DeleteLove those little heads. I'm so glad you photographed them.
ReplyDeleteThey're beautiful, aren't they? I wish I'd shot one of them from a different angle -- from the front, maybe.
DeleteThose little heads are fascinating. That is interesting how you can see the decline in the use of reference materials and it does make sense. I can't remember the last time I looked something up in a book.
ReplyDeleteWe've pretty much discarded all our encyclopedia-like books, because quick reference like that is all done online now.
DeleteI'm fascinated by the tiny heads!!
ReplyDeleteWhile I do read a lot of my books digitally (via the free Libby Library app and digital purchases), I'll never give up "real" books entirely. I'll admit what little research I do is usually online. And, of course, that entails a lot more fact-checking and making sure sources are accurate and reputable.
Yeah, I think book-reading now is about consuming a book in its entirety, as opposed to dipping in to find specific information. In other words, people still read non-fiction, but it's more the narrative stuff and less the encyclopedias and reference works.
DeleteLibraries are going to have to become more digital. Library inventory will have to be much more digital.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! So much of what we do is digital now. Some libraries don't even have books anymore! (Which is a crime, I think.)
DeleteIf they were bigger I would assume they were mooring bollards.
ReplyDeleteYeah, WAY too small for that! A boat would pop one of those little heads clean off.
DeleteInteresting little heads! Our public library has weeded so often that the non-fiction section is quite a bit smaller now and of course, the computer lab area has grown and grown!
ReplyDeleteYeah, ours will be a lot smaller by the time all our weeding is done.
DeleteLimehouse! Shrunken heads! Watson, the game is afoot!
ReplyDeleteWhere is Sherlock when I need him?
DeleteIf the books on Native Americans are older, they're probably wrong. Scholarship on them has been seriously lacking.
ReplyDeleteI love the heads.
Yeah, that's the danger with some of our materials -- by today's standards it's old information. (I hasten to add that our library is probably much more up-to-date than some, though!)
DeleteIsn't that a worry that an American school is not teaching children about American Indians?
ReplyDeleteJ
Well, it's possible they're learning about Indians and just not using our books. I can only gauge what's being taught by the interest in related library materials. But yeah, I'd like to see more emphasis on our Native American heritage and history.
DeletePerhaps the teachers could be influenced to teach Native American history? It's so fascinating.
ReplyDeleteIt is! We'd need to invest in some new materials, though, for sure. Some older students do self-directed research into topics of their choosing, so they could certainly dip into Native American history if they wanted to, I would think...?
DeleteHow interesting that you have a mystery on the tiny heads. It is odd that there is no information on the artist and why he or she decided to create the tiny heads!
ReplyDeleteOn my last trip to the library I was left walking down one isle after the other in search of a author and some of his books for my son Jonathan. They had zero and when I inquired the lady said that she could order the books for me from another library but sadly she couldn't find any at the other libraries. She finally advised me to just order the book online.
I mentioned it to Jonathan and he said "It's alright mom, I have already lost interest in the series."
I'm finding that how information is gathered in todays time that is all online is a blessing and a curse. I loved going to the library (Still do) just to get as many books as I was allowed so I could smell the paper and ink and hold the books in my hand and I have most of all of my knowledge from books.
It is a pity that our books are going to the wayside for online books and information, but hooray to the teachers that still require the kids to use books for assignments.
The danger, of course, is that a lot of online information is simply wrong. We emphasize to students how to discern good information from bad, and how to look for reputable online sources.
DeleteI recently came across an article about an interview with the street-art artist Jonesy and thought they might be his, but I can't find any proof of that anywhere ..
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...I don't know Jonesy! I'll have to look him (I assume it's a him?) up!
Deleteinteresting tiny heads. there should be more. 3 just doesn't seem to be enough.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's odd that your school isn't teaching native American history. they didn't really teach it when I was in school.it was only as part of the American expansion but no real history of the actual nations.
I love those heads!
ReplyDeleteMy mind wanders all over the place while I am working. Here is where my wondering went wandering today: those little heads? Don't they look African? And I thought of a people whose ability to contribute to your history was minimized. They were trapped. Suddenly those little heads staring out over the water, knowing that the water that brought them there could also take them home...if only they weren't trapped.
ReplyDeleteThere must be more to these heads, I am intrigued. I hope someone will come up with more information. This is London!
ReplyDelete