[Steppes] Telling someone that what they are doing is not period

[Carolle M. Cox]

Ditto here, Justin.

The topic being telling someone that what they are doing is not period is
one of tact and diplomacy.  Seeing that line, my first response was:

"Well, did they ASK you to tell them if it was Period?"

Most folks I've met in the SCA make themselves a new whatever, and come
prancing out with it at its first event.  What they generally ask is some
version of :

"Do you like it?"

Well, heck.  I like a lot of things that are NOT perfectly Period.  A whole
lot, beginning with my new dulcimer!  The answer to #2 would be 'yes' unless
it's terrifically horrible, and even then, a gentle "wow that fits
beautifully" helps a lot.
  The answer to #1, if it is asked at all, is the question "Period to what
time and place?" because 10th Century Mongol looks nothing like 13th Century
Scots and in any case, I only really understand late 14th Century Venetian.
Nobody I know of considers me an expert on even that, so I could be wrong in
my answer.  However, a direct question requires a direct response.  In this
case, it would be "I don't know.  I haven't studied your time/place, but
Lord Whatsis has.  If you'd like, we can go ask him."

I'm a first-rate Period Nazi on myself.  I expect Gerita to produce items
that are as close to correct as far as research can show.  I used to enter
my work in A&S events, only to get blasted by judges and general passers-by.
Well, fine.  I'll teach anyone every detail I know about anything I know,
and hopefully point them onwards to someone who knows more, but I'm not
putting my months of research and hard work, my heart and soul, out there
even once more to get it stomped. I do have some pride left, after all.

Likewise, when I meet someone whose garb SCREAMS "I bought this at the
Costume Shop in Dallas", unless they demand an instant judgment on its
"Periodness", I don't go there.

I enjoin all, even though this is not Period by any stretch, to remember the
words of Thumper's martyred mother: "If you don't have anything nice to say,
don't say anything at all".

In service ever, 
Gerita



Carolle Cox
Japanese Chin Rescue and Care Volunteer
Dallas North-west coordinator
 
The years that a woman subtracts from her age are not lost.  They are added
to the ages of other women.  -- Diane de Poitiers (1499 - 1566)
 
This is a private message.  Not to be forwarded without separately requested
consent from Carolle Cox


-----Original Message-----
From: steppes-bounces at lists.ansteorra.org
[mailto:steppes-bounces at lists.ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of Justin
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2006 1:10 PM
To: steppes at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Steppes] Telling someone that what they are doing is not
period


>
>  She said she liked the design and she didn't plan on entering A&S. Of 
> course 3 years later she did enter it and got points knocked because 
> it was double Knit. She left the SCA over it. I failed with my own 
> husband. I told him his work was not period and he is still mad at me.
>


I am a personal period nazi, but I have never interjected an opinion about
the 'periodness' of someone else's work or creation. I have always felt that
there is so much conjecture and opinion on 'periodness' that unless you are
specifically recreating a museum piece with materials matching what is in
that specific piece and methods that were only available at the time,
nothing that you do is exactly period. (how many of us out of the thousands
of SCA members are hand weaving our own fabric?) But as SCA members we all
know that the 'periodicity' of someone's work is never black and white but
is a range of gray with a million opinions as to how period something has to
be in order to be acceptable. There is an eternal conversation going on
about fun vs. authenticity.

Did the polyester beaded thing look cool? Was it beautiful? How much work
did it take? Did it *look* medieval? To me, looking cool and beautiful is
the most important thing. If you want to put in the time and effort to make
an object REALLY period, that is fantastic too, but I also feel that should
be a secondary consideration to the enjoyment you get from making or wearing
something.

I also try to keep in mind that the people in the SCA have different degrees
of knowledge about specific time periods. For example, you may know a whole
lot about medieval flatware, and have a good recall of every existing
archaeological fork. Now Joe-Bob Scadian is trying a project to kickstart
some blacksmithing practice and tries to make some forks for Feast. He puts
several hours of hard work in and ends up with some very cool looking 4
toothed forks. You see them and TOTALY invalidate his work with the comment
that they are not period enough because 4 tined forks didn't exist. No
matter how sweetly you bring up the subject, is there any other way to react
but to get upset? Should he have consulted with you before starting his
work? I think that the person with the polyester medieval frock overreacted,
but was justifiably upset.

I make my own rivited mail and hand stich my own gambesons for my fighting
gear. The only time I've submitted anything to the A&S table is when my
friends basically stole something from me and told me they wern't giving it
back until I write a paper on sources and construction. I always have gotten
blasted at A&S, and have never gotten enough points for a metaphorical
passing grade at aschool. So I put in alot of work and SOME people really
like, but the A&S people don't value very much. So the big question is, is
the SCA's approval for my creations important to me? Obviously the polyester
medieval frock lady needs approval more than I do, and I bet she's found a
group that can appreceate her labor.

I think that the problem with 'periodness' and the SCA starts with the SCA's
scope. Civil War or Battle of Hastings reinacters have a very specific point
in time to recreate and there is alot of specific scholarly work and
evidence to look to when making your kit. The SCA covers a 1000 year span of
history that includes many technological and societal advances and that
makes is very difficult to make your work locked down for the casual
hobbiest. Personnas are notorious for pulling in a diverse array of cultures
to justify some costume or fighting style. When you have 12th century
Viking-Passamaquoddy hanging out an Elizabethian courtier, you are bound to
have elements of fantasy and disagreements creep in.

I think the problem with 'periodness' and the SCA ends with individual
members. There are alot of people in the SCA who consider themselves much
more knowedgable about matters medieval and are just waiting for the
opportunity to show how much they know. For every person that tries to help
people do what they want to do and admire the work that is done, there's
another person with a criticism and not alot of support. And since alot of
the crafts in the SCA are peer-pressured, that pedantic crticism you can get
can really cut you down.

-Justin
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