Fellingmania Archives - Museum of Photocopies

PINS – Rule Thirty-three: More Unsteady Zones

Oh heck, things are getting unsteady, we need to keep hold of our pins and wait on our C.O. otherwise all hell’ll be brekkin loose like it does down Funnies on a Friday neet.

A heavily treated photograph of a strange glass recepticle, full of the Photocopier’s playthings, ones he buried in the garden between 1972 and 1977. If you don’t get out of your Unsteady Zone you’ll end up like this.

A heavily treated photograph from another angle, of a strange glass recepticle, full of the Photocopier’s playthings, ones he buried in the garden between 1972 and 1977. If you don’t get out of your Unsteady Zone you’ll end up like this.

PINS – Rule Thirty-two: The Unsteady Zone

Elite troops keep the morale of other units steady in the Unsteady Zone. That’s the place where contact with the opposing force occurs.
You can read all about that here, along with why you musn’t leer, or be a lummox at the Con Club whist drive.

A photograph of a photocopy of a letter with letterprint, biro, photocopies and marker pen. Posted letters like these marked out the Unsteady Zone in 1992, the possibilities of grown up communication seemed endless.

A photograph of a photocopy of a restaurant bill and a drawing reminding the curator of happy times in the South of England. Despite these happy memories, the South of England is a nonstop Unsteady Zone, due to the fact that you get strange foodstuffs down there at twice the price.

A photograph of an illustration of a dinosaur in an old, old book celebrating The World in the Past. The curator has no doubt this dinosaur, because of its small brain, is not in an Elite Unit and would make a muck up of any Unsteady Zone it lumbered into.

PINS – Rule Thirty: Marching on an empty stomach

The Museum doesn’t like to unduly quote Napoleon, for as we all know, Boney was a warrior, Boney was a thief. But he was right when he said, an army marches on its stomach. Here are some images to make you think about marching on your stomach. Click here to find out how you can march on a full one.

A photograph of a photocopy of a painted record cover made by the curator in Leiden in 2004. The figures are full of stomach, as they are dancing energetically. This is the state to be when you march on a full stomach.

A photograph of a photocopy of a painted record cover made by the curator in Leiden in 2004. The figures are full of stomach, as they are sat down, stuffed. Definitely the after effects of a buffet. This is the state to be when you march on a full stomach.

A photograph of a photocopy of a painted record cover made by the curator in Leiden in 2004. The figure has a menacing glow and has pushed his head through a door. This is the state to be when you march on a full stomach.

PINS – Rule Twenty-eight: Advance Against Hidden Enemies

We have to advance, most probably against hidden enemies. This is because, just like any really good game, we can’t be bothered checking the rules we wrote earlier. So best just advance.

A photograph of a photocopy of some notes made about hidden enemies in the 1970s. You can’t see them because they are behind a screen. Remember, when hiding from your enemies, keep your notebooks pocket-sized and write in fountain pen.

A photograph of a photocopy of some notes made about shuffling cards for a game in the 1970s. You can’t see them because they are face down. Remember, when hiding from your enemies, keep your notebooks pocket-sized and write in green felt tip.

A photograph of a photocopy of some notes made about hidden lands where enemies live in the 1970s. You can’t see them because they are lands in another dimension. Remember, when hiding from your enemies, keep your notebooks pocket-sized and write in fountain pen and blue felt tip.

PINS – Rule Twenty-seven: Mascots for Morale

Just like in Real Life (what’s that?), morale plays an important part in the game of PINS. Mascots help morale. It could be Tokor the cat. Or Edwyn Collins.

Here are some photocopies of mascots that can help your morale.

A photograph of a photocopy of an etching that didn’t have enough ink, but looks nice as a photocopy, made by the curator in Leiden. It is of a totemic goat herder figure from the Romanian-Hungarian regions. You wear this mask at Easter, don’t forget. This can be your mascot.

A photograph of a photocopy of an etching made by the curator in Leiden of a totemic goat figure from the Romanian-Hungarian regions. This can be your mascot.

A photograph of a photocopy of an etching made by the curator in Leiden of a totemic goat herder figure from the Romanian-Hungarian regions. You wear this mask at Easter, don’t forget. This can be your mascot.

PINS – Rule Twenty-six: More Units

Morale is an important thing in PINS. An overview about morale and not being a big softie can be found here. Below are some viusal proimopts on how to improve your unit’s morale.

Photograph of an A3 photocopy of a dip pen and ink drawing showing an East African soldier from the First World War, an Askari, holding a modern tablet. This image can raise morale.

Photograph of an A3 photocopy of a dip pen and ink drawing showing three Whooper Swans. This image can raise morale.

Photograph of an A3 photocopy of a dip pen and ink drawing showing two Japanese geisha girls from the 1890s looking at a modern tablet. This image can raise morale.

PINS – Rule Twenty-five: Units

Units can be anything. They don’t even need to be real, it’s all explained here. But they have to take orders.

The first photograph of four photographs of photocopied hand-drawn pamphlets, A4 folded using dippen and ink, showing astrological star signs. Sell them to the GULLIBLE in East Lancashire. Don’t tell your dad, but you can make units out of them.

PINS – Rule Twenty-two: Inner Mapping

PINS can be carried out anywhere. We know that. We think it’s best to do it in your garden. But you can also do it in your head. We don’t know if PINS is true. But that’s not a problem. Sometimes, it’s just what we remember, or imagine. Here are some images to help you imagine what may have happened to you. PINS is not played on any screen. And colour television is not to be trusted. This is the only real rule of PINS.

A photograph of a colour photocopy of a drawing using coloured water-soluble pencils and inks, and collage. It shows the Curator, entering his Inner World on top of the coal bunker. The tin drum is borrowed from Gunter Grass not David Sylvian, and the cap from Heworth Colliery Band. Inner Worlds shape you. You have to use them wisely. And also: remember the world around you, when playing PINS.

A photograph of a colour photocopy of a drawing using coloured water-soluble pencils and inks, and collage, including some figures taken from the Nursery Rhymes series of etchings by the late great Paula Rego. It shows various Guardians in the predominently matriarchal Inner World of the Curator, and nearby totems, such as the chimney of the NORI brickworks, an emotional weathervane of his early life in East Lancashire. Inner Worlds shape you. You have to use them wisely. And remember the world around you, when playing PINS.

A photograph of a colour photocopy of an in situ photograph set of six oil paintings showing the cover of Yeti, by Amon Düül II, made in the Intermediate Internet Age. It shows Der Sensenmann, aka Wolfgang Krischke, aka a dead commune member of Amon Düül. Designer F.U. Rogner said: “When he died I thought that the photo would be a perfect tribute to his memory […] maybe his image as ‘Der Sensenmann’ will work as a strange cover image and he could be remembered as a magical person.” The paintings are now most probably lost, probably by another magical rock band, Sea Power. Remember the world around you, when playing PINS.

PINS – Rule Sixteen: Making Maps

We think that PINS originated partly through a love of making maps. This means to play PINS you will need to make maps, in as peculiar a manner as you can. We tell you how to do so, here. Meanwhile, maybe these photocopies can bring some inspiration.

A photograph of a photocopy of a sheet – one of many – listing North Norfolk golf courses. The photocopier received this sheet as part of a package listing more golf courses in North Norfolk in 1990, when receiving photocopied notes in the post was a novelty. Maybe this will help you to think what you want to create your maps from.

A photograph of a photocopy of a sheet with a grid where you can make a cat with a bowtie. All part of the British Army’s recruitment drive in the north of England in the 1990s. Comments are not those of the photocopier. But maybe this will help you to think what you want to create your maps from.

A photograph of a photocopy of a photograph taken by the photocopier in the 1990s, somewhere near a hill called Jeffrey Hill in East Lancashire. The photocopier’s parents told him that nearby was a function room where they held their wedding reception in 1966. It’s now gone, of course. Like most things. Maybe this will help you to think what you want to create your maps from.

PINS – Rule Fifteen: Hang on a Minute

Now, hang on a minute, before we go further we need to look backwards and forwards. As it’s a new year and a new January (2024, to be precise), it’s good to know what we have learned with PINS, and what we should look forward to.