Madeleine Walton & Silvia Champion

4th July 2012 

Madeleine and I have been asked to work together. We met last Thursday to exchange our ideas for the project. My archive will consist of local newspaper pages and in the exhibition one will see a sculptural response to those. Thats the idea at the moment. I am interested in the multiple and repetition as well as the content and although all 12 sculptures are going to be roughly the same size, their materials and content will vary.

Today I went to the local history section of the library and copied page 12 of the Sheffield Daily Intependent from 12.12. till 24.12.1912. Some pages 12 were missing so I'll return tomorrow and look the Star and Sheffield Telegraph. I found looking through those pages very addictive and it made me want to read on and look deeper through this window into a different time. Next pleasure will be to spend time with those pages 12 and see what catches my attention. 

5th July 2012

A lot of page 12 are adverts for Xmas presents or what to do at Xmas; so for example "Get a PIANO for XMAS", "GRAND XMAS BAZAAR", "CANADA offers you the same flag - but more - Healthy Condition", "Christmas Gifts at JOHN BANNER'S Ltd.", "CHRISTMAS PRESENTS. CASH & CO., BOOTS, SHOES & SLIPPERS", "SEAL COAT, Large Roll Collar. Gauntlet Cuffs. Made of Finest Selected Skins.", "Graves Gramophones"or "Isn't et time you ordered your new DRESS SUIT?"

I find these adverts interesting - have we much changed?

6th July 2012

I made a paper cube 12x12x12cm to get a feel for the size of my objects.

13^th Sept. 2012

It was between 1900 and 1920 when Xmas became increasingly commercial. Examples for presents were embroidered handkerchiefs, home made sweets and chocolate, Dutch dolls, teddy bears, jewelry, scarfs, gloves, etc. They also used advent calendars often in house shape with little pictures behind the windows.

I have chosen specific things that were advertised as Xmas present on page 12 of the Sheffield Daily Independent: doll, diamond ring, chocolate box, Capper’s Tea, Lambert and Buttler’s Waferley Cigaretts, pair of gloves, handkerchief, Murray’s Mellow Mixture (tabacco). Four copies of Daily Independent were missing (15^th, 16^th, 18^th, 22^nd Dec. 1912) so need to look in another local paper - off to the Local Studies Library next week.

I’ve made four sample cubes 12x12x12cm out of Edwardian style wallpaper we had left over from when we decorated our hall (our house is Edwardian). It’s white embossed wall paper. The Edwardians had less bold colours and patterns than the Victorians; it was often an off white background with coloured pattern on top.

                                          playing with different options of colours, positions, etc.

I’m thinking of finding the objects mentioned earlier and place them in the cubes that will be opened one a day starting on 12^th Dec. They will have Edwardian style numbers on the front in either red or white, not sure yet.

Made a little drawing what they could look like lined up, but another possibility would be laid out in the shape of a rectangle with three rows of four cubes or four cubes of three cubes.

14^th Sept. 2012

Went to several antique shops to get a feel for what Edwardian objects there are around and how likely it is to find what I wanted. These businesses have people specializing in specific areas and I could talk to them if I arranged a time I was told.

17^th Sept. 2012

Using wallpaper with the numbers and the way they are arranged they do remind me of houses with door numbers, or flats rather, a little bit like an advent calendar or even white storage chars in a kitchen.

Practiced writing Edwardian numbers.

Went back to Antique shops with a slightly clearer vision what I wanted, still overwhelming masses of stuff there. Realized I need to exactly write down what I’m looking for.

Played around with putting object into cubes and possible placing original advert on lid. Also tried out making different number signs and thought about how to arrange the cubes.

20^th Sept. 2012

In Edwardian times presents were raped up in brown paper, so raped up objects in brown paper holding it together with string. These placed in cubes look interesting almost intriguing. Like it.

A wooden frame will finish it of and give the wallpaper cubes stability.

24^th Sept. 2012

Ordered two books from the library:

The Edwardians (details will follow)

Edwardian Childhoods  (details will follow)

and bought ‘An Edwardian Xmas’ from ebay for £ 2.75 incl. postage.

Read on www.beamish.org.uk/edwardian-christmas/ a few interesting points to put my project in context:

So for example that electricity was relatively new in 1912 and the first modern style displays were opened by Princess Louse using 10.000 bulbs. Father Xmas was a universal figure by 1910 and wore a red suit whereas before he could be in red, blue or green because he’s been made up of Father Xmas and St. Nicholas. Xmas cards and carols were widespread in Edwardian times and so was the Xmas tree; in the ‘Book of the Home’ it is explained how to decorate a Xmas tree with bon-bons, toys, etc.


25th Sept. 2012

Met up with Madelaine to catch up on our progress and talk about display. Here are some of the samples she has made, see her comment in the comment section underneath the blog.

Metro

Sheffield Telegraph

Star

Yorkshire Post

15th Oct. 2012

My project has developed and subsequently changed a bit since my last entry. It still deals with my initial interest in the adverts of the 1912 local paper. I often start off with with an idea that is very overcrowded and needs to go through an elimination process along the way. 

I'm now left with the Edwardian Xmas adverts and a slide projector. The Edwardians used something called 'Magic Lantern' that was the forerunner of the slide projector as we know it. I'll see what I can get. I like the physicality and presence of the slide projector. The former advent calendar idea with the cubes and presents inside became to distracting from what I was actually interesting in and also seemed  somehow too 'pretty'. 

Madelaine and I are also going to make a concertina book that will be presented with our project.

24th Oct. 2012

The book is coming. On Monday I spent a few hours in the printmaking centre at university and prepared a screen with the twelve chosen ads for screen printing. I also chose a paper and gave a sample to Madeleine to see what she thinks and so she can try out her collages, she did and it works fine for what she does. Tomorrow morning I will start with my first print samples. 

After our meeting at Bank where we discussed space amongst other things, I realised a projector would not be practical because of the space it would occupy and the difficulty to darken the room. I've got a slide viewer, that I could simply stand on a little shelf. This small and straight forward devise holds about ten slides and for the remaining fifty something I will construct a little holder. I feel I am getting closer to my final version now. 

Also, I have been to the slide room 6315 on level 3 in the Adsett Centre this week to ask for a Rostrum Camera to use for photographing the ads and then have slides made. The two guys there were really helpful and recommended to scan the ads in, bring them the files together with a Fuji Provia 100F slide film and sort the slides out with their special apparatus. 

Madeleine and I had a brief mail exchange today about the 3-linder for the floor plan. It will be on the way soon.

14th Nov. 2012

The project has moved forward a bit since my last entry. I have finished screen printing the book and that was a very satisfying process, although it took a while till I got to that stage. 

I have made the covers for the book as planned in Edwardian wallpaper and now I only need to attach them to the pages and then I can hand it over to Madeleine to collage her side. We decided to make a little slip that goes over the book with possible our name and website on. 

The slides are on their way too. I had to print the ads onto newsprint and then scan them in and make a digital file for the 'slide library' in the Adsett Centre so they can put the images into their special machine I forgot the name of now. It will put the images onto the slide film that then will be sent off. On Tuesday next week I'll get it back and then I'll have the honour to mount 65 slides and check them in the slide viewer. All very exciting!!

1st Dec. 2012

Got my slides a few days ago, mounted them and made a little box out of the same material than the book covers, the Edwardian wallpaper. 

I knew I had some nice oak boards in the cellar and thought I'll make two shelves out of them to house my slide viewer with the box on one and our two books on the other. I realises soon enough that it was two much material to put with the other fairly delicate work. So we are now using one shelf for all three things but they'll be displayed differently.

This is Madeleine's 

Collage pre-installation -Wednesday 28th November 2012.

Activity Sheffield; Catcliffe Flash; Clint Bristow; Crime Scene; Damflask; Eastern Avenue; Elmfield Park; Floods; Greenwood Avenue; Hannah Bonser; Julian Antonio McKenzie; Lord Leveson; Nick Clegg; Walnuts;

Cupcakes;  Edale Mountain Rescue; George Osborne; Jessica Ennis and Dan Walker;  Lee Gray; Martin Benson; Rother Valley Park; Sheffield Park Academy Choir; Sipra, Aaryan, Nayan & Rohan Deb; South Yorkshire Police;  Steelworks by Leonard Beaumont; Taha and Amy Mete; Worsbrough Dale;

4th/5th Dec. 2012

Madeleine and I took our work over to Bank Street Art last Thursday. 
Here some more of Madeleine's collage work.

Boxing Fans with Ben O'Brien and Ella Frith; Carl Walk; Cowlishaw Road by Martin Field; Dancers at IceSheffield; Dermot Griffiths and Eve Beaumont; 

Emma Watson; Keith Roe; Lucy Spraggan; Mark Humphrey; Mary Holmes; Mince Pies; Peter and Val Stokes; Peter Andre; RSPCA Manger Tony Benham; 

Scrapyard; Supt Tim Innes; Tata Steel; 

Boris Johnson; Brittany Johnson; Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; fire-ravaged flat; George Osborne;  

metal theft;  property of the week; Sarah Steer; Sheffield City Centre; steel workers at Firth Brown; train crash; 

6th Dec. 2012

Abu Qatada; Bartholomew Street; Care Homes; Daniel Craig; Duchess of Cambridge; Emma Lifsey; George Osborne; Goathland, North Yorkshire; Prince William; Q-Park; Rotherham Minster; Six-day endurance race, 1888; Xolile Mngeni; 

Thursday 13th December

Friday 14th December

Awais Zulfiquar; Bethany Adcock with Sheffield United Ladies; Brittany Johnson; Funeral off Private Matthew Thornton; Jessica Ennis, Neelam Javid, Sania and Tania Faisal; Private Matthew Thornton; Sheffield rooftops; Sophie Firth; Steph Gandy; Winter waterfall;

Saturday 15th December
Concord Park, Winter 1947; Foresters Inn Rockingham St; John and Betty Williamson, Royal Standard 1981; Falling trees; Hippodrome; Landlord David Bacon, Staniforth Arms, 1990; Mrs Patrick Lollipop Lady 1978; Music Machine; St James House

19th December

Animals at risk at Pet Sanctuary; Clarissa Dickson Wright; Heglig Oilfield, Sudan; James Martin; Jo Wheatley; Maya Moudnani with Paul Keen of Changing Faces; Michel Roux; Nigel Slater; Service on the Northern Belle; View from Win Hill

Tuesday 8th January 2013
Coun Weatherall and Joel Wirth, Head of Ecclesfield School; Doctor's Orders; Lady Cannings Plantation, Ringinglow; Lawyer, Alison Fernandes; Mawfa Avenue; Nurse, Lorna Hobson; Oxclose Park Rise, Halfway, Sheffield; Peace Garden School, Nepal; Walkley;

Friday 11th January 20013

Fiona Bruce; Firefighters at Brampton, Rotherham; John McCririck; Kamlesh Ruparelia; London Road and Hill Street, Sheffield; Nick Clegg; Princess Anne and Sir Norman Adsetts; Sylvester Street; Trafford-James Jackson-Poole; Wentworth Woodhouse;