h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

American Writer Friend, who is also a sculptor, has been working on Gothly's bust. I suppose I ought to be jealous, but so far I find it rather exciting. Besides, she's hinted that, after she's Done Gothly, she might Do me.

It came about, as these things so often come about, one afternoon over a cup of tea. AWF had been regaling us with some anecdote about, I don't know, Frieda Kahlo or something, when she broke off mid-flow and said to Gothly, "you know, you've got a really interesting head. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Um...," said Gothly, "not as such, no."

"Well, you have," she declared. "A really interesting head."

"Thanks?" ventured Gothly.

"Can I do your bust?"

"Huh?"

"You've got a superb head. It needs to be sculpted."

"Uh, yeah, okay."

Some days later, AWF descended on Gothly with callipers and cameras and, well, to cut a long story short, we got to see the Head last week. We dropped by the studio to take her out for lunch, because all three of us were suffering from that special numbness that can be induced by too much thinking about Swing / drama / busts. (Mainly busts, I admit: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/10/bounceometer/) And there it was. The size of my Apple iMac, a ceramic-red replica of Gothly's head, that looked as though at any moment it would draw breath and launch into a diatribe about heuristics.

"I haven't finished it yet," said AWF defensively. "It needs painting. And the nose is wrong. I've had a lot of trouble with the nose: it's so... delicate."

"What you're trying to say is I've got a honking great hooter," stated Gothly, fishing rather obviously for compliments.

"Yes, that's right," said AWF.

Gothly ate lunch in silence, while AWF and I sat opposite, using Gothly's face as a living diagram, pointing out various dimples and creases to each other as we discussed its likeness to the bust. There were more creases than dimples by the time we stopped, but AWF was satisfied that she knew what changes to make once she got back to the studio.

"I'm going to cut the bottom half of the face off and do it again," she said.

All that careful work, and she was just going to trash it! I couldn't believe it. After we'd dropped her off, I observed, "it must take real ruthlessness to be able to do that."

"She's an Artist," replied Gothly. "It's what they do. You do exactly the same thing with your writing."

I hadn't considered that.


Now, normally, I'd put a link here, to a photograph of the Head-in-Progress—but, for obvious reasons, I can't. So you'll just have to play with the interactive bounceometer on the link above. It should keep you out of trouble for a while.

It's the same with mathematics (another art form). Sometimes you just have to junk one particular derivation on which you've been working and follow a different approach instead.

Sounds exciting and complimentry not to mention the intensness of the art involved

Oops forgot the name of the other poster alreadySorry , you are a familiar name to me!

The similarity of strange bedfellows (so to speak).
Science and art, art and math, music and math makes sense to me.
I enjoy seeing a connection. Math = the ratio of features in faces was the fist secret I learned for doing portraitsI would love to have the space to sculpt.

Eventually music/math may be how we can communicate with future unknownslike th old close encounters movie.

Poor Gothly having their face discussed like that! I hope its all worth it in the end, it does sound intriguing.

Dearest Snailrind,

You have such a *fabulous* way with woids. Thank you for this piece, it made Cymro & myself laugh out loud; I hadn't really thought of myself as a fearless sculptor before, more of a slapdash potter. And it's somehow heartening to be reminded, through your replies, of the similar approaches of all the artistic disciplines to a problem in the work.

Though I do use mathematical measurements for portraiture, they are last resources. Takes all the risk out of getting the likeness - I enjoy the gamble of working by eye.

PS. What's heuristics?

PPS. Cymro says Gothly is going to need a bloody big mantelpiece for this Head when it's fini!

I'm still watching the bounceometer...

Gothly says: "good old KAZ. See, KAZ understands what's what."

HEURISTICS. (Noun.) Subject about which Gothlies like to go on and o... I mean, talk. May have something to do with problem-solving methodology.