The Hollywood actor Tom Hanks likes typewriters—a lot. The star of Forrest Gump and Cast Away, who has been collecting typewriters for more than 50 years, has picked 35 examples from his collection of more than 300 for a show at The Church in Sag Harbour, New York state (until 10 March). Typewriter nerds will be in heaven among top-notch machines such as the Hermes 3000 (around 1970) which, say the organisers, is “praised for its elegant, modern lines”.
Typewriters are not just about creating text, though, as many artists have used them to create works of art. Among them is the British artist James Cook, who has used the machines to create portraits, producing almost 300 pieces of work on his growing collection of more than 100 typewriters. Cook forms images using a random assortment of letters, numbers and punctuation marks, charging up to £15,000 for larger pieces. His latest works made by tap tap tapping away depict Queen Elizabeth II and the Mona Lisa.
• Some of Tom’s Typewriters, The Church, Sag Harbor, until 10 March
