Firstly, the archive is a strong resource, and an excellent starting point from which to tell a story, and so I have decided to take it forward and improve it, for my final task. The events that my great-grandfather was involved in and the connections he made with people, provide intriguing material. The images do not justify this story however, and need to be recaptured, in a way which better suggests their sentimental worth. In order to do this I will photograph them in a 'copy-stand' manner – give them the lighting attention (balanced from both sides to give sharp detail, and back-lit to have it stand out) they deserve. I will also consider photographing them with a large format camera (or digitally and then produce a border to mimic one) to reinforce the idea of the archiving of precious objects. This can be seen to great effect with Steve Pyke's 'Garden Tools' and 'Post Partum & Post Mortem'
'Border Fork' by Steve Pyke from Garden Tools
The audio of the project, is definitely a worthy addition, and adds a greater sense of meaning and emotional draw to the story. Although it would benefit from a re-edit to reduce my presence, as it is my mother's voice which is of real worth, and not my mumbling agreements. However I would still like to maintain it as a conversation rather than a monologue, because although the interest lies predominantly in my mother's recollections, it is also my learning of them which is significant. This decision is reassured by thinking of interviews from television or radio documentaries, where the occasional acknowledged presence of the interviewer helps to validate the interview by reassuring the viewer/listener of it's authenticity. I'm fascinated by the letter from King George, particularly as it seems to be very causal. It was suggested I could play with this, in some way leading the audience to believe that it is me writing the letter. I will consider this along with the other proposals outlined above for developing this artefact.
I feel inclined to take the story further, as I'm struck by how little of my great-grandfather's character I know, despite having this very rich archive. I want this character to grow into something more personable. I can piece together fragments of it from my mother's recollections and from the manner of the letters written to him, but I want to imagine it further. I've decided to write a short semi-fictional piece about him, which I will then share online with the creative collaboration production company hitRECord, and invite people to illustrate, use, adapt, mash-up, and add to it. I'm hoping that the interest of others, along with my own, will allow Uriah John Lee's story to go further.
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