Typing Class

As a writer I can well understand why someone would feel the urge to grab a typewriter when confronted with a scene of beauty, shock or fascination. That need to capture the moment, to pin down the feelings evoked in text is something I can relate to. But I've never thought of capturing scenes on a typewriter in quite the way Keira Rathbone does. She uses them to 'draw' the scene. It's truly astonishing to watch her work in this BBC video, and the resulting images are incredible.

I have on occasion attempted to tap out the odd symbolic image in emails and letters, you know, Christmas trees, stars, hearts, soppy stuff like that, but the finished products have been fuzzy, loose, and requiring a hefty degree of imagination on the part of the observer. Keira can draw people and complex scenery with remarkable accuracy simply by adjusting the paper and overlaying the letters. It's absolutely ingenious.

I'm desperate to have a go myself, if only I could remember where I put my old typewriter.