There is something absolutely intriguing to me about Medieval Books of Hours.

They have their own aesthetic. It is clear that the craftsmen worked hard to create something beautiful, but it is not the same thing that we might consider beautiful in the modern era. It’s like a different visual language. There are a lot of quirks left behind by the makers–marginalia and funny little drawings. Things that would never make it past the “professionalism” filters of our modern marketplace.

Everything is a little bit ramshackle, but obviously made with care and with love.

I love how the text is secondary. This is a book that can be read whether or not you’re actually literate.

I feel like more than ever before, this dualistic text/images way of communicating is relevant, and I want to explore more behind why this type of book worked so well and what it all means. And possibly how to harness this power for the modern era.

When I realized that Orthodox icons are merely memes, my conception of their use changed. Memes have power, but the power is in the idea–not in any particular expression of the idea. Nobody who kisses an icon thinks that they’re literally kissing the person that’s depicted–it’s what that person stands for, what they did. Their meme.

Books of Hours aren’t icons, but they share a lot of commonalities in a visual language and symbolic representation.

Anyway, I don’t know a whole lot about Books of Hours yet. This post is me setting the intention of learning more, and sharing what I learn.

I want to explore Books of Hours in how they were used, and how the shape and reflect the corporate view of time. How they conveyed memetic concepts but maybe also facts. How we might use some of these ideas in the current year.

I don’t really know where this might go, and I like it that way.

There’s a vague idea of where I’d like to end up, but I see the beginnings of a trail in the underbrush.

Let’s go exploring.