Discover how the most revolutionary development in human evolution came about a developed into critical works of literature that shaped our world; from Scott’s diaries to emojis.
We take writing for granted. We’re surrounded by words, from street signs to our constitution. It’s difficult to imagine a world when nothing was documented… Not even what your average Joe had for breakfast.
The British Library’s exhibition took you on a journey of discovery. Its aim is to educate patrons on the craft that is the cornerstone of its existence. That adorns every wall. That profoundly sits in glass cabinets. The written word.
Starting from the 3rd Century BC, we were transported to Mesoamerica with the help on a huge stone tablets filled with Mayan glyphs. And was immediately greeted with a lovely bit of instructional copy.
The exhibition then led you around to discover that the Mesopotamians used a form of writing by pinch and carve into clay to count things. It focused on the evolution on Chinese script written on bones, showing an early example. And how this became the basis to which all East Asian language, showcasing examples from Japan and Korea (which is relatively new, with King Sejong adapting it to suit Korean dialect in the 14th Century).
From there, we were taken to Mesopotamia (using largely images) to the Phoenicians (who developed this into the alphabet we recognise today), the Greeks who evolved this into the Cyrillic (that I proudly read and write) to the Romans and where we are today.
Language and the written word doesn’t end with the development and adoption of it through empire. How we write has also changed, from instruments used to preferred fonts. In England, we were big fans on art in lettering and Gothic script. The Romans developed something different.
Then came block printing, first developed in Korea. It’s unknown if this new technology in the east influenced the printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg.
It’s impact on society meant the need literacy in the common person grew. It meant that the word of God could be spread and was more and more accessible. It took power away from religious people and politicians. It gave a platform to challenge ideas. And it allowed for people to learn from each other.
As the exhibition moved from QWERTY keyboards to what communication will look like in 50 years (the ideas here severely lacked imagination – focusing on texts and emojis, as opposed to augmented reality, holograms or IoT) the crowning glory on this exhibition were the exhibits.
I saw Scott of the Antarctic’s last ever entry in his pencil written diary from the fateful expedition in the Terra Nova. Chillingly, it read “For God’s sake look after our people”. There were Florence Nightingale’s neat, tiny notebooks with meticulously taken medical information. And Alexander Fleming’s perfectly preserved drawings of his experiments.
Aside from the Chinese tourists pushing past everyone to see the 800-year-old block printing press, seemingly not interested in learning about developments from the Etruscan, Mongols and Indians, this is a brilliant exhibition that bought language to life through the eyes of people who gave me my craft.
