With the rise and rise of the trend towards renovation, Philament has decided to do some remodelling itself. And what better time to reveal the new Philament than in an issue devoted to the concept of 'Model'? Readers may notice that our ‘Commentary’ section has undergone the most dramatic makeover, now re-envisioned as 'Excursions'; but the changes to our ‘Critique’ section are more than merely cosmetic. The section has been renamed 'Features' and will continue to present high quality peer-reviewed academic articles, however the editors hope that the new ‘Features’ model will open up the possibilities of peer-reviewed academic work to encompass a broader range of interpretations of theme and format than ‘Critique’ implied.
This issue's ‘Features’ encompass a breadth of interpretations of 'Model', probing well beyond the theme's more obvious applications to reveal its relevance to a variety of timeframes, mediums and socio-historical frameworks. Ranging from explorations of model characters in Shakespeare's England to contemporary artist Ricky Swallow's remodelling of technological icons and their subtexts, and finally considering the modern phenomenon of the Camgirl, this issue has something for everybody. We hope that you will engage with the articles and any ideas, theories or issues that are relevant to your work or that inspire and provoke you. Feel free to respond in any form you like – write an academic article or an opinion piece, or be creative and delve into poetry or prose (no more than 500 words). So please, pull up a chair and make yourselves at home: the architects of Philament hope you enjoy the remodelling.