GarvanNotes
Notes 26-1-23
Achievable aims ahead of next meeting: join 2 sections together; draws more into the 21st C. Go into more detail re previous appearances of the gaol in film and TV (streaming platforms). Thesis will be 3 act structure with Gaol as main,; Nelson's Pillar; reflection on changing meaning which is more contemporary The pillar's replacement and the drastic changes that have taken place and how this new structure communicates that. Also: doc on LA in cinema. Steve: Oh, I forgot to mention- keep on top of the citations.
Steve notes: Please write an abstract for the beginning, outlining the central thesis. The text can go in any number of interesting directions. (I would emphasise how it has been an instrument of a (post) colonial narrative which begins with imperial power, then becomes an instrument of national independence, before becoming a media celebrity.= but you may have other ideas :-)
Gavan writes:For Irish people, the gaol is remembered most for its role in the aftermath of the 1916 Easter Rising. It was the place where the failed rebels were held and where the revolutionary leaders were executed by firing squad.Most notably including the execution of the already gravely wounded James Connoly who had to be strapped into a chair to be executed as he could not stand up by himself. This scene plays out in the 1997 film Michael Collins and in the Netflix drama series Rebellion both productions use Kilmainham Gaol as the filming location. The executions at Kilmainham were an acuteturning point in Irish history. The failed rebellion had not been popular, itwas not a completely national uprising and it had been rushed. After Britainexecuted the rebel leaders, the uprising garnered sympathy. It was within the walls of Kilmainham Gaol that the detested putsch was synthesised into one of the cornerstones of the Irish national narrative and its executed leaders ascended to the pantheon of freedom fighters and folk heroes.
Steve notes: This could be more thoroughly unpacked. You could use this opportunity to stress here that this is part of the move toward a 'media life' for the prison. It begins by producing an image of itself in relation to its colonial history. The prison is a non-human character in an historical narrative, later it will be a non human actor in a fictional story (Paddington2). it would be useful to flag the process of increased mediation at this point. The reader benefits from seeing the argument develop and the pieces fall into place. It is also a good place to set the reader up for the introduction of Paddington later, because the reader understands the gaol has become a medium of communication.
Gavan writes: Perceived as a betrayal by the hand of Ireland’s own, the signing of the treaty was more bitter than the unsurprising cruelty of Britain. McAtackney notes that above t he former cell for Sighle Humphries’ there is a plaque that denotes the year she was imprisoned at the gaol. The plaque reads 1919-1921 (the war of Independence) however, Humphries was actually imprisoned during the civil war (1922-1924). This error is intentional and was designed in the late 1950s, just prior to the prison's renovation. Pro-treaty revolutionaries pressured the restoration project to avoid any signposting of histories from the civil war (when these pro-treaty revolutionaries where the gaolers)
(McAtackney 2016) Steve writes: In a sentence, again, stress how this develops your argument, the prison is being built as character (along with Collins, Humphries et al) shaping of modern Ireland. Stress that at this point the prison becomes a 'media instrument'.
Steve notes: The moment of the prison's renovation is very interesting. It seems it underwent an overhaul of its position in relation to the history of Ireland, one could say at this point the prison becomes a text about Ireland. It would be useful to give more detail on how this was the moment when the prison presented an image of itself to the rest of modern Ireland (and the world)? - more on how the 'restored' prison appears on the historical picture of Ireland. Anyways, if the changing meanings of the gaol is red thread here, please pull on it.
Gavan writes:Ireland is an island richly adorned with charged iconography, symbolism
and monuments.
Steve writes: the cross over from part one (Dalkey) and part two (Paddington 2). Note on the structure. It might work well to jump ahead to Paddington two and use it to loop back to the gaol's past. In this version Carmen joins a conversation which is already ongoing. The phrase 'obfuscated palimpsest of incarceration' describes your position well. This also implies that there has to be more peeling back of the layers in the 'paddington' section itself. You could take the opportunity to loop back to section one: How does the prison perform as an actor in the different films in which it appears? As a site of historical authenticity; as a perfectly symmetrical stage on which regimented and disciplined bodies dance.There is an opportunity to review and compare the gaol's varied career in film (again, I reference the doc on LA in cinema).
Gavan writes (proposal): "did [Connolly] die so a cute CGI bear can dance with Hugh Grant?"
Steve writes: Would be great to tie the two sections together with that question, and unpack its implications (how did we come to this?)
Steve Notes: It would be nice to see more images throughout. How the gaol is made to look is important
Achievable aims ahead of next meeting (12-1-23)= fillout prison chapter, make more granular reading. Bridge to next chapter (the column)
11-1-23 Achievable aims ahead of next meeting: Next draft of Chapter 1 to Steve by Wed (11-1-23)
Previous feedback:
The mode of address is sound but there needs to more precision and substance around
- the prison as an instrument of colonial power
- How specifically the prison is translated into a media commodity. What happens at the prison (museum)- this suggests a method for other texts.
- of Ireland as a media commodity
What happens here?: 1) Location is decontextualised - but what remains? the semiotics serve a purpose in the context of the film 2) Location substituted the location becomes "the place where X was shot"- it is meta. 3) it engenders further media products such as = city film location tours . New Zealand - lord of the rings- London-Edinburgh, Harry Potter; Northern Ireland Game of Thrones. Real places become references to fictitious places.
How is this different from Joyce and the tower in Dublin? Material relation to history and place.
Places become part of media history.
- more reflection on the semiotics in Paddington; what is being shown; what is it signing?