There is a peculiar shade of blue that pervades certain parts of Accrington. Not always seen, it can nevertheless be sensed as a strong visual memory over long periods of time and sometimes in other places, far removed from this former manufacturing town in East Lancashire.
Memories can be cut out and rearranged. But that doesn’t make them better or any easier to grasp. Looking at these three new additions to the museum, the curator can’t help but wonder what binds them outside of his own random attempts at fusing or displaying memory. Maybe not even that. Maybe they should be pondered in silence, without recourse to thought.
Photograph of a letter from an ex-University friend, circa 1993. A lot of letters from that period were full of such declamations and anecdotes. And the actions of the writers always seemed full of adventure, wit and brio; totally at odds with the curator’s Accrington sojourn.
Photograph of a collage of a colour photocopy of a photograph of a mysterious duckboarded path on Ilkley Moor, West Yorks. The pen and ink graffito is a typical response from Richard the Photocopier when presented by such a visual prospect.
Photograph of two photocopies set side by side. One is a collage made out of newsprint, ink, pencil and tracing paper. The other a photocopy of a pencil drawing of the curator’s father in January 1970. The Photocopier’s father always wore stylish (if not trendy) clothes for the (aspirant) working/lower middle orders in the period.
