The Trolley
We have over the duration of our project looked at a whole range of documents which we have referred to regularly. We have amassed quite a collection of items taken from the strong room on our red trolley. Now the residency part of the project is largely completed some of the documents will be returned once again to the strong room. The ones left on the trolley have been selected by the group and myself for photographing using the stand and lights they have at the Archive so I can get some images where i have control over the lighting.
Our closing discussion was about the nature of the project, it was David from the Parliamentary Archives who said with an artist leading the research process the project has gone in a different direction. That is what I enjoy so much about cross discipline working, the ways in which an artist may approach a topic will obviously differ from that of a historian or archivist. Our research journey has been facilitated by having weekly meetings, the space in between meetings allowed us all to consider what we had looked at and what might be next. We have focused in and in and in, trying to find answers but also trying to find truth.
Patricia asked if I could have done the project alone: the answer was No, it would have been impossible to deal with the quantity of information and it was the group’s background knowledge of these characters and the sites around Norwich that has been so valuable. It’s the discussion, the questioning and sometimes the finding of answers that is so positive about projects like these. And importantly this is an outreach project, it wouldn’t have even come about if there wasn’t a group to work with. I did ask the group about the questions we have been left with: Why we can’t find a paper trail for Bland (in these archives at least), Where is the portrait of William Herring given his civic service (I’ve sent an email to the lady we met at the Guildhall last month to ask) to name but a few.
Research always throws up more questions than answers but we have throughout this project discovered a great deal. From names on the Land Tax Act held in the Parliamentary Archives we have, through looking at documents, undertaking walking tours, engaging in group discussions mapping information and visiting the Parliamentary archives found our five commissioners are now more than names on a piece of vellum. They have connections with each other and the wider world, they have undertaken philanthropic activities and instigated innovative projects for improvement of the the city of Norwich.
I now have the job of condensing the information, distilling it into a format and creating an artwork suitable for digital platforms.
