with apologies for cross-posting - PLEASE RE-DISTRIBUTE THIS MESSAGE -
widely
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- 'mayday', an open celebration of the work
done by Mass Observation
is taking place on Thursday May 1st 1997.
- Mass Observation was founded, sixty years ago,
in 1937, by Tom Harrison, a self-trained
anthropologist, Charles Madge, poet and journalist,
and Humphrey Jennings, painter, poet, writer and film-maker.
Mass Observation challenged the claim of the press
to represent the views of ordinary people.
Despite the male grouping that mobilised it
Mass Observation archived an extraordinary and
incomparably rich body of writing by women.
- the Mass-Observation Day Survey of May 12th 1937
exploded simplistic notions of collective identity.
It compiled reports, written on that day by hundreds of
people in all 'walks of life'. The result stands as
an interrogation of the construction of meta-narrative.
To give this 'mayday' project some purpose Sound & Language intends:
- to publish a book of the reports during the summer.
The editorial work will be done by cris cheek.
All contributors will receive a copy. No other
plans exist at present. It might well be that
other projects emerge.
For now, Sound & Language simply wishes to encourage
this project to happen, with the widest of briefs and
with the widest diversity of participants.
We are not setting out to control it.
- The title of the book will be 'mayday'.
You can take that as you will. You will have
your own trajectories / associations.
The day only happens to coincide
with the British General Election.
In that respect there is an ironic nod
towards the 'sea-change' for the British
people that the May 12th 1937 coronation
of George VI was claimed to present.
- 'Reports' can be of any length and breadth.
They can be in any format.
The compilation will appear with reports
as numbered items, together with their
approximate location. Names will be
listed in alphabetical order
at the back of the book w/o
being referenced to specific reports.
This brings, we hope, a necessary / useful
anonymity to the observer.
- There have been enquiries about whether
this is a web-based project or not. The
answer is not. Too many people would
have been precluded from contributing.
Therefore the idea of linked web
sites has been abandoned.
- Materials (written or photographic - b/w)
can therefore be submitted
on hard copy, or by disc, to:
Sound & Language
85 London Road South. Lowestoft. Suffolk. NR33 OAS
or by e-mail to the e-dress above.
The work of Mass Observation was originally
lampooned for being part of a Big Brother
Is Watching You movement.
- We would urge you to make reports of the
everyday that move against, or at the least
interrogate such audiant and voyant
aspects of the everyday.
- We would also encourage you to distribute
news of this event taking place and
open this invitation to anybody, lists,
communities that might suggest themselves.
It will be most successful if it gets
out of control.
all the best
looking forward
love and love
cris cheek and Sianed Jones
- don't hesitate to contact us with any suggestions or queries
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