Drawing and magic

I did the second Mediascape lecture today–the title was drawing, although the idea was broader–prehistoric media, that is, media before writing.  It was meant to include carving, modelling — probably “performance” (some kinds).  But it settled into drawing.  I think I did a reasonable job of getting the general idea across, that “new” media extend some of our capabilities, and block others.  That should be the mantra…New medium X extends a, but inhibits b.  I got in the bit about the explosion in human creativity at the point we know someone was drawing (and carving, etc.).  The part about the schizophrenics–the Prinzhorn collection–went reasonably well: I described it as a bid, by people who are extraordinarily isolated,to a make some sort of contact, to be understood, accepted.  The implication is that if you want to say something extraordinary, it make makes sense to reach for a medium that isn’t contemporary–possibly one that doesn’t involve an apparatus. I didn’t talk enough about magic, perhaps, about the way an image presents time as not linear, not progressive, but rather circular, or at least repetitive.  Next week–writing: writing extends external memory, provides a model for critical thinking, planning, filing, etc.; it inhibits…what?