#scriptus

Wheel of Fire - Chapter 1 Page 12

If you like the story so far and want to help me make more of it, consider supporting me on Patreon. For just $1 a month, you get access to exclusive artwork and early access to comic pages.

2022 Scriptus Pen Show - 30 Oct 2022.

After 2 years, Scriptus is back!

Going into the show, I knew I wanted a vintage Esterbrook pen, I already had a ‘SJ’ so was looking for a ‘J’ and ‘LJ’ models. 

I quickly found both a red 'J' and grey 'LJ' pen, both with a '2556 firm fine' nib. Fully restored and working for $40 each. Sold!

Now that I got what I originally came for, I had a look around.

In the booth for YouTuber Azizah of Gourmet Pens, I found a Esterbrook 'JR' in Carmine Red with a medium nib, no converter - $60. Sold! This will be my first modern Esterbrook pen since the brand's revival.

At another 2 booths I found original stock Tomoe River paper (White, A4, 100 pack, 52gsm - $20) and Diamine Rushbrooke Blue (80mL - $10).

Rushbrooke Blue was the Scriptus show ink for 2019 and I still have most of my original bottle left, so I now have 2 bottles of this ink.

Nothing else caught my eye enough until I saw the Phidon Pens booth was selling individual Blackwing pencils. I got 1 each of the standard pencils to try out: 1x 602, Matte, Pearl & Natural for $14.25 total.

I’ve finally decided what to carry to the Scriptus pen show tomorrow.

I wanted to bring a backpack but not a huge one so I dug up this little pack from my closet and dressed it up with some pen-related pins to show my pen pride.

I decided to bring both the Superior Labor pen roll and the Franklin-Christoph Penvelope 6. The pens & inks are from my October line-up plus a few that I have planned for November.

Here are the paper, pens and inks that I’m bringing for show & tell.

Paper Nockco Dot Dash notebook

Pen: Kuretake Yumeginga (Dream Galaxy) Brush Pen Ink: Noodlers Plains of Abraham (Wonder Pens Exclusive)

Pen: Pelikan M400 Brown Tortoiseshell EF Ink: Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-Ho

Pen: Parker Vacumatic Major Golden Pearl F Ink: Calliofolio Grenat

Pen: Karas Kustoms Ink EF Ink: Noodler's Raven Black

Pen: TWSBI Eco Black F Pendleton BLS + Extra Flex Ink: Akkerman #5 Shocking Blue

Pen: Franklin-Christoph Pocket 66 Italian Ice Masuyama 14K F Cursive Italic Ink: Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-Yake

Pen: Franklin-Christoph Model 45 Antique Glass Masuyama 18K F Italic Ink: Diamine Chocolate Brown

Pen: Lamy LX (Rose Gold) EF Ink: Pilot Iroshizuku Momji

Pen: Pilot/Namiki Vanishing Point Raden Water Surface F Ink: Callifolio Baikal

Pen: Platinum 3776 Century M Ink: Montblanc Lavender Purple

Pen: Bexley Gaston’s Special Reserve M Ink: Montblanc Toffee Brown

Pen: OMAS Ogiva Alba EF Extra Flessibile Ink: Pilot Iroshizuku Ama Iro

Pen: Nakaya Decapod Twist SF Ink: Sailor Jentle Tokiwa-Matsu

Final Thoughts

I'm planning to attend the Scriptus 2016 Pen Show in Toronto this coming Sunday, October 30th. I'm putting this on the blog before I have a chance to change my mind. You see, I've never been to a pen show before and the thought of seeing throngs of vendors and attendees both frightens and excites me.

I've done my homework to revisit how to prepare for attending my first pen show by re-listening to certain Pen Addict podcasts and reading experiences from other bloggers. I also researched specifically about Scriptus by listening to Michelle Leung talk about Scriptus on Episode 226 of the Pen Addict and reading recaps of Scriptus 2015 from Paul Joynes at Gorgeous.Ink and Liz Chan at Wonder Pens.

So what am I looking for from the pen show?

Well, of course I have a target list to work from. I'll come back to that in a moment.

What I look forward most from the pen show is being in a room with like-minded people for a few hours to gush over pens, ink and paper while supporting my favourite vendors and meeting new ones too. It is exciting to see that the Toronto pen scene is 'happening' and I really should take the opportunity to attend my local pen show. I’ve read about Scriptus for the past few years and from what I gather, this show has really grown over the past few years.

It will be fun to see pen friends whom I've met on Instagram or Twitter or even those who have reached out to me directly through this blog. So, if you've ever thought about attending a pen show and are sitting on the fence about Scriptus, then please come out too! Drop me a line so that we can plan to meet up. We could just say hello and then part ways. Or we can check out a a few tables together or grab a coffee at Balzac's to do some pen show-and-tell.

What do I plan to bring to Scriptus? I haven't fully decided yet but I’m thinking that since the date of the show is Oct 30, I could bring pens from my October line-up as well as some pens I expect to be inked for November. Is there a particular pen in my small collection that you would e interested in seeing or trying? If so, let me know and I’ll make best efforts to bring it along.

I have tried very hard in October not to buy any new pens with the expectation of getting something at Scriptus. Anything from my Wish List is a possibility. I would love to track down a vintage wet noodle Waterman.

I’m really looking forward to visiting Liz & John (and, cross my fingers, little Caleb) at the Wonder Pens booth. I hope and pray I’ll be early enough to nab a bottle of the KWZ Scriptus 2016 ink. I’m a big fan of KWZ ins though my collection is very limited.

I thought about doing an “official” Pendora’s Box meet-up at the show. But with this being my first pen show, I decided it would be better for me to enjoy the show with no added pressure. I’d still love to meet up informally so be sure to hit me up if you’re at the show.

Earlier this year, Edward Snowden leaked information about the National Security Agency’s vast surveillance programme, revealing that the United States had systematically spied on its citizens. In a world where nothing is private anymore, Adam Harvey has picked up the fight to regain privacy. Using fashion as his weapon, he creates designs that protect individuals from the constantly wakeful eyes of the surveillance state. Based on military camouflage, Harvey brings the techniques to the masses.

Harvey first became known with CV Dazzle, a concept created to confuse face detection softwares (CV referring to “computer vision”). Presented as his master’s thesis at NYU, it consists of a catalogue of looks that work as facial camouflage. By hiding the cheek bones and avoiding feature enhancing make-up, the face becomes unrecognisable to the computer programmed eye.

With the Stealth Wear project, Harvey takes anti-surveillance to the next level. To hide from drones, the new Big Brother, he enlisted the help of designer Johanna Bloomfield to create hooded capes, caps and scarves with the purpose of hiding the wearer from thermal surveillance techniques. Made out of a textile with nickel woven into the fabric, the material reflects heat and blocks out the infra-red radiation that naturally is transmitted by the body. As a result, the unmanned aerial vehicles that survey the skies are unable to pick up human signals. Formerly reserved for military equipment, Harvey packs the technology into designs inspired by the Muslim hijab and burqa - garments that are symbolic of the separation between man and God. Harvey also created the OFF Pocket accessory for the project, a phone case that blocks out all outgoing and incoming signals from your phone.

Other designs and projects include the Camoflash clutch with a built-in LED flash to overexpose any picture taken of it, and the more radical DNA Spoofing. A genetic experiment with the techniques of digital IP spoofing, it attempts to eliminate the possibility of collecting and analysing the genetic materials that humans naturally shed daily. Genetic material from another source is used, concealing one’s own identity. Still very conceptual and experimental, the project presupposes a future in which surveillance may be so evolved that it would include a physical tracking of individuals.

Privacy is neither a right nor a privilege. With society under constant surveillance, it is time to fight back. The most essential function of clothing is the protection of one’s physical privacy. In this sense, fashion is an efficient weapon. In a constant state of emergency and with never-ending warfare, Adam Harvey’s designs are aesthetic statements about a not-so-distant dystopian future; the people versus the cameras.

Published in Scriptus #4: Panopticon.

In the late postmodern realm the artificial reigns. The industrialized, globalized society is characterized by the hyper real, moving further and further away from Nature. Our current idea of nature is nothing but an illusion and an idea which opposes the increasing digitalization of our lives. Nature is something artificial, invented so that there can still be a connection (albeit false) with our original state. There is no longer an objective view of Nature, unclouded by technology and urbanity. The ecological systems too are part of this construct and in fact are more relevant as to describe consumerism and hierarchies within the human communities, as proposed by Timothy Morton's idea of dark ecology in which nature is subtracted.

Late November saw the launch of H&M's latest design collaboration with the legendary Belgian house Maison Martin Margiela. Established in the 1980s, the mysterious designer, whose image just recently leaked online, created fashion that radically went against the glamorous, designer-centred culture, embodied at the time by brands such as Dolce & Gabbana. Labeling was famously made with just four white stitches in the neck. Conceptual creations have over the years had a striking impact and posited the house as avant-garde. Duvet coats, oriental carpet skirts, trompe l'oeuil bra top, deconstructed garments... Something familiar? (Respectively autumn 1999, spring 2012, spring 2009, recurring item.)