Friday, June 14, 2019

Medieval Skills in Demand!

I love it.

A disastrous fire in the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris destroyed the roof and a tower and maybe weakened other parts of the structure.

A week ago, an article in the Los Angeles Times: "A medieval role model for Notre Dame rebuild", suggests people could rebuild the 12th century roof using materials, tools and techniques from the time the original was built. How do we have access to those tools and techniques?

Of course, because there are people engaged in, passionate about, everything. In this case, there is a fantasy castle build going on a couple of hours away from Paris. With an imaginary owner and story, a 13th century castle is being built, as accurately as possible, with researchers, carpenters, masons...learning, reinventing, and practicing medieval building skills. They are offering their knowledge, labor and training for repairing Notre Dame.




There is something encouraging and delightful about this project, the live past. To a certain extent it is historical play, like reenactments. What delights me is the sudden practicality of this esoteric hobby. Now it is needed, in the contemporary world. (Evidently, in France with all its medieval monuments, these skills are always needed for repair and maintenance, so it is not really sudden.)

And I go directly to pottery making by hand. It was a practical skill set in the past, and still is in some less industrialized places. But could potters be needed, here and now?






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