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Arts & Sciences

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This is the place for discussing current Arts & Sciences projects in the group. Got an ongoing project? List it! Need some help? List it! Idea for a class? List it!



A&S meetings[]

Arts and Sciences will be the theme of our meetings on the third Wednesday of each month at the Kadena USO. We will meet in the Kadena USO auditorium at 2000 HRS. This is a time to work on both group projects, such as largesse, and get help with individual projects. There will be classes offered on some Wednesday nights, such as period dance, costuming, etc. For more information, please contact our Minister of Arts & Sciences, Pipa Follywolle.

Group projects[]

Heraldic banners[]

  • Everybody loves a nice heraldic display! I'd like to get some materials together and make some dyed silk banners. Actually, what I have in mind specifically is a heraldic standard. I've looked into this, but I haven't actually done it before, so I couldn't exactly teach a class, but if anyone else is interested, we could learn together! If we can find silk remnants of the right size and color, we could also make some of those long, narrow bicolors (like the blue and yellow ones that mark Swedish islands and the white and blue ones that mark Finnish islands in the Baltic Sea) in Canton colors to mark our encampment. If anybody is interested in participating, just add your signature (~~~~) below. Wilhelm Meis 12:17, 28 April 2009 (UTC)
I suppose if we are to follow the guidance set forth by the Lord Lyon, our Stronghold standard (being not a baronial standard) should be no more than 120 cm in height and no more than 3 meters in length. Of course, if you think about it, that's pretty big - and would be an expensive piece of silk! I would like to get started on it as soon as we can get some members through the Bingata class (see below). Wilhelm Meis (Quatsch!) 07:05, February 2, 2010 (UTC)
Related links

Bingata[]

Our Bingata class was a success! We attended a class at Crafty Things on Kadena 20 February 2010, where we learned about the historical tradition of Bingata in the Ryukyu Kingdom, as well as the step-by-step process of applying the dyes and finishing the product. We also got to practice the dye application. Wilhelm, Adelheyd, Otto, Turtious and Tatiana were all in attendance, as well as our guest Elena Kirkman from the Ansteorran barony of Wiesenfeuer.

Footwear[]

Shoes circa 1400 - Budapest

I am working on a pair of leather turnshoes, and then I will make a pair of pattens to wear with them. If anyone else is interested in making some period footwear, come to our A&S meetings the next few weeks and be sure to bring some manilla folders to make patterns. I can show you how to come up with a pattern for last-free turnshoes. They won't have quite the perfect fit an experienced cordwainer can make with a pair of lasts (wooden forms made for constructing turnshoes), but they will cover your feet and look period. Turnshoes are so called because they are assembled and stitched inside out and then turned. You may wish to purchase some leather - I recommend ordering from Tandy rather than looking for leather on-island - but you need not wait for a shipment of leather to arrive before beginning. Come make a pattern and learn the techniques, then you can decide what kind of leather you want to invest in. See you tuesday evening! Wilhelm Meis (Quatsch!) 08:36, January 22, 2010 (UTC)

Related links

Largesse[]

There have been some ideas mentioned about working on some largesse projects, possibly even a pair of portable baronial thrones if they are needed. I have done some searching around on the internet, and here are some of the better sources I have found on period chairs. My idea for travel-ready thrones was to do something similar to the Viking box chair, with a kind of Chinese chippendale lattice (such as that pictured at center here) cut into the side panels to lighten the chair, and the panels need not be very heavy, as they serve primarily to stiffen the chair, not to support the sitter's weight. Wilhelm Meis (Quatsch!) 07:39, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Related links:

Some other ideas proffered by the Barony include light-weight loaner garb, perhaps a large vertical Baronial banner (gonfalon), or some Baronial regalia. Again, it has been stressed that any Baronial regalia must be very compact and lightweight for easy travel/shipping. To that end, a suggestion has been made that a heraldic cloth cover would be more portable than an actual throne, and could be placed over any locally available chair. Perhaps this or a Baronial gonfalon would be a good project for our Bingata group (see discussion under Heraldic banners above). Does anyone have an idea or opinion about what largesse project(s) they would like to work on? I would like to come up with at least a modest offering for the Barony and for the Kingdom by the end of the year, to be delivered at a Winter or Spring event. In Service to the Dream, Wilhelm Meis (Quatsch!) 09:57, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

Update

Otto and Wilhelm split the cost of some red and yellow cotton broadcloth, selected for its bright heraldic color, low cost, light weight, and simple weave. There should be enough fabric there to proceed with a pair of heraldic chair covers for common folding camp chairs with arms and a pair for common metal folding chairs without arms. This way the armed or armless pair can be selected, depending upon which type of chair is available for events. Since these are chair covers and not chairs, this eliminates the need to pack thrones in the Baronial travel gear. Just a bit of cloth that is easily rolled up and stuffed into the corner of a suitcase. Volunteers are requested to come on Tuesday evenings to help bring the project from a bolt of cloth to a set of heraldic chair covers. At this point we should have all necessary materials to complete the project.

Brewing[]

Update
Alan has most of what we need for making one batch of mead, and Tatiana has been gracious enough to grant us access to her kitchen at the Kinser towers. We will meet there Tuesday night, 16 February, at 1800 to get the mead started. Those who have honey, bring it. Those who do not, don't worry, we will have enough. Look for an e-mail from Turtious with directions to the location. If you didn't get an e-mail, we might not have your e-mail address, so just leave him a message here. Thanks! Wilhelm Meis (Quatsch!) 13:26, February 10, 2010 (UTC)

Several of our members have expressed interest in brewing and vinting, so this is the place to discuss ongoing efforts on that front. I am adding some useful links below, and starting a list of what is needed and what is on hand. If you have something on hand, please put your name (or the name of the person who has it on hand) next to each item. That way when it comes time to brew, we know who has what. Good luck, and happy brewing! Wilhelm Meis (Quatsch!) 12:24, February 1, 2010 (UTC)

Mead
What we need
  • Sanitizing solution (absolutely not optional)
  • Honey
  • Bottling cane (clear plastic siphon hose will do)
  • Bottles (Stelvin closures are fine, corked bottles will also require corks and a corker)
What we have
  • Honey - Wilhelm has two 5lb bottles of honey from the case lot sale, and Walker has a [2lb?] can of honey.
  • Yeast - Alan
  • Stock pot - Alan
  • Primary fermenter - Alan
  • Fermentation lock - Alan
  • Hygrometer - Alan
Useful links

Period Clothing[]

14th Century German 1370 soldiers

14th Century German Soldiers

With all the time I have on my hands I would like to share a site I found. For those who are still looking for ideas for period clothing I have found an outstanding site filled with pictures of French, German, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and Finish period clothing that ranges from the ancient times all the way through the late 19th century. The information comes from the book titled The History of Costume. Here is the Description:

  • The History of Costume or Zur Geschichte der Kostüme was printed from 1861 to 1880 in Munich by the publishing firm of Braun and Schneider. It was originally published as individual plates in a German magazine titled Münchener Bilderbogen. Later, these plates were collected and bound into book form. The total publication consisted of 125 pages, with four pictures per pages, for a total of 500 costume designs. These plates consisted of historical dress from antiquity to the end of the 19th century. This book is an excellent source for students who are studying the history of fashion and for costume designers. One must be aware though, that these illustrations have a Victorian perspective to their designs. The last 35 pages consists of contemporary folk dress (c.1880) from most European, Asian, and African countries. These provides a source for researching plays which take place during the Victorian period, such as "The King and I" or "The Sea Gull". The original book was published in German, so at times, the English translation is confusing. This is especially noticeable in the contemporary folk dress plates where many of the countries mentioned now have different names or no longer exist. If you wish to obtain additional information on the original book,Dover Publications has an excellent reproduction of the printing entitled "Historic Costume in Pictures" by Braun and Schneider. ISBN 0-486-23150X

The book can be found Here. 500 History correct Costume designs can be found on this website. I strongly suggest taking a look as you might find some really good ideas. [[User:Stevenyuko|Otto Spilman (talk) 16:23, January 23, 2010 (UTC)]]

Related links:

Local resources:

  • House of 66 Cents - on the left side of HWY 81 going south from Camp Foster (take HWY 330 until it runs into 81 and continue south); Be sure to look at the second store behind the main store - it has many different types of fabric. Buttons, bias tape, roping, thread, etc are upstairs in the front store. Prices here are worth checking before you spend money elsewhere, though some things can be found cheaper elsewhere on island.
  • Pandora House - in second floor of Jusco at American Village. This store has a limited selection, but has the basics, such as muslin, broadcloth and linen, and usually has some fabrics cut to usable sizes in their sale bin. The best thing about Pandora House is its convenient location.
  • Rainbow House - get directions from Okinawa Hai. This is a big store with a wide ranging selection, but prices are high. Catch them during their sale the 4th weekend of every month, when most of their prices are reduced to a reasonable range.

Bardic arts[]

Please feel free to add any bardic projects you like to the following list. Bardic arts include music, song, prose and verse. We have discussed starting up a songbook and rehearsing these songs on saturdays and wednesday nights, so that they become well-known to us all. If I may make a few suggestions, I will post some links below. Feel free to add to the list. There are several sources online, including a few lists I will link here. Some of these include songs that are specific to Calontir (a kingdom known for singing in battle) but there are quite a few songs here that we could use. If you find a favorite among these, just speak up at a wednesday meeting and we'll go over it. If you have an off-line source, just print a few copies to distribute at the meeting. Wilhelm Meis (Quatsch!) 09:04, 22 August 2009 (UTC)

Related links:

Instruments links:



Suggestions for the stronghold songbook:

Stronghold songbook[]

We will add songs here as they are added to the songbook.

  1. "A Grazing Mace". This song comes from the Calontir song book, but it is not inherently kingdom-specific, and everyone knows the tune, so it's easy to learn.
  2. "Scarborough Fair". This song is much older than Simon & Garfunkel, and the many folk variants dating back a few centuries appear to be based on a medieval British ballad known as "The Elfin Knight". To see an early text of this song, please refer to page three of Child's Ballads (1904) below.
Related links:

Falconry[]

  • For anyone interested in falconry I have found the following website for the Japanese Falconers Association (JFA).  I've sent them an email requesting information. I haven't received a reply yet.  I think it would be a great piece to add to our group.  There is a certification test that is required before you can legally own and practice falconry in Japan as there is in most of the states.  In the united states there is a 2 year apprenticship requirement before your even allowed to take the exam. I'm not sure what the regulations in Japan are but hopefully not as extensive.  The good thing about Okinawa is there an abundance of Hawks in Okinawa and I have a yard big enough to put a cage in.  The average cost to keep one bird is a $1.00 a day. Of course this doesn't account for the cost of the cage.  For anyone interested please shoot them an email at info@jfa.gr.jp and hopefully they will respond to someones email.   [[User:Stevenyuko|Otto Spilman (talk) 16:24, January 23, 2010 (UTC)]]

Dancing[]

  • Time for a new subject on dancing in the SCA.  Click here for an outstanding source for some period dances along with training manual and training videos for the various steps.  These all come straight from the Library of Congress.  The manuals are mostly foreign language, but the videos are rather self explanatory. Hope you enjoy! [[User:Stevenyuko|Otto Spilman (talk) 16:24, January 23, 2010 (UTC)]]

Woodworking[]

Boardgame project
  • The Gokstad board is finished. This two-sided gaming board is based on a board found on the "Gokstad ship", which is laid out for Hnefatafl on one side and Nine Men's Morris on the other. To play Nine Men's Morris, only nine each of two sets of counters are needed, so these may be selected from the Hnefatafl set and the rest of the pieces reserved. We also have two sets of pieces completed.
  • There are still enough materials to make another board. The games we reproduce are up for discussion, and suggestions so far have included Chess, Halatafl, Draughts, and Ludus latrunculorum or Latrunculi.
Wilhelm's heraldic war chest
  • Wilhelm has gathered materials and begun work on a heraldic war chest with a hipped roof lid, which will be painted with his arms in an oil-based paint. The box will be constructed of locally obtained Japanese pine and will employ dovetail joinery with copper hardware and trimming. The copper reinforcement lames are planned to take the shape of six-pointed stars. Copper handles and hinges will also be employed. The overall size of the box will be approximately 50cm L/30cm W/40cm H, with four lid panels put on a 45 degree slant. There will be tapered feet approximately 5cm long, which will be continuous with reinforcement posts in all four corners. These in turn will support a lift-out tray.
Related links:

Scribal arts[]

I would like to see us contribute to the Barony's/Kingdom's scribal needs. Every time someone is awarded in recognition of their service or excellence in the arts and sciences, an award scroll is made, which requires hours of hard work and dedication on the part of the Kingdom's scribes. As our little group starts growing again, it would behoove us to make a positive contribution to the Kingdom's needs, in the form of award scrolls as well as largesse. We have enough people now that we could launch our own local scriptorium. All we need are a few members willing to dedicate a few hours a week to researching and practicing calligraphy and illumination. There are online sources available through the West Kingdom College of Scribes to help us get started. Since we recently highlighted the scribal arts at our demo, we already have a handful of preprints to get us started with some practice. I need three volunteers to get this going, so if you are interested, please contact me here or at the next meeting. Your humble MoAS, Wilhelm Meis (Quatsch!) 08:50, January 24, 2010 (UTC)

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