ABSTRACT This short article argues for the potential of paper media to ‘tell’ early media histories through critical praxis. I will use examples of my own artwork, which include an artists’ book of feminist thaumatropes, and a series of peep boxes, to demonstrate how media made from paper (including cardboard) can act as historiographic documents themselves, producing political and social critiques of media, while also providing an opportunity for individuals and students to engage with a hands-on form of ‘doing’ media history. Drawing on scholarship that articulates the pedagogical, ideological and commercial drives behind the development of many ‘philosophical toys’, I argue that returning to these objects can produce opportunities to both teach the social, political and technological contexts of these older media, while drawing from those historical contexts to produce creative responses that speak to contemporary situations and issues. The reconstructions of these objects as part of workshops or classes hold many potentials for complex conversations about what media are and what they do. Such activities can raise enthusiasm for and awareness of media as having complex histories that continue to be important and relevant for understanding our current technological moment. ‘Making’ media histories encourages an understanding of media in broader terms, less associated with objects or systems reliant on machines. The act of creating media by hand introduces the idea that such historically guided production, in the form of critique, can be an act of cultural resistance rather than simply a novelty activity relegated to a historical bubble.

中文翻译：

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对象中的教训：在纸上重建早期的视觉媒体

摘要 这篇短文论证了纸质媒体通过批判性实践“讲述”早期媒体历史的潜力。我将使用我自己的艺术作品的例子，其中包括一本艺术家的女权奇术书和一系列窥视盒，来展示由纸（包括纸板）制成的媒体如何可以作为历史文献本身，产生政治和社会批判媒体，同时也为个人和学生提供了参与“做”媒体历史的实践形式的机会。利用阐明许多“哲学玩具”发展背后的教学、意识形态和商业驱动力的学术研究，我认为回到这些物体可以产生机会来教授这些旧媒体的社会、政治和技术背景，同时从这些历史背景中汲取灵感，以产生针对当代情况和问题的创造性回应。作为研讨会或课程的一部分，这些物体的重建为关于媒体是什么以及它们做什么的复杂对话提供了许多潜力。此类活动可以提高人们对媒体的热情和认识，因为它们具有复杂的历史，这些历史对于理解我们当前的技术时刻仍然很重要和相关。“制作”媒体历史鼓励从更广泛的角度理解媒体，而不是与依赖机器的对象或系统相关联。手工创造媒体的行为引入了这样一种观点，即以批判的形式这种以历史为指导的生产可以是一种文化抵抗的行为，而不仅仅是一种降级为历史泡沫的新奇活动。