Book Boxes; the clue is in the name. Boxes that are made for packing books. Not boxes that are made to pack archive files. And you can tell this is the case because after 10 files have been packed, there is a square gap too large to leave unemptied (because the box would collapse) and of course, too small to fit anymore archive files in. There has been some imaginative filling-of-gaps using a) cushions, b) small miscellaneous ornaments and objects, c) small children. Well, c almost worked, but Wendy objected. Besides, they make too much noise.
We have found some pretty strange things up there (sometimes it’s hard to figure out if they’re just stuff put there cos there’s no where else for it to go, or it actually belongs to the archive). Top of my list is the photo of Shebaz (from BB) in a wedding dress at pride (’96?) – I’ll put money on it that he was singing “Like a Virgin”. Photos of Quentin Crisp, Karen Dunbar and Tommy Sheridan (topical!) have also been found. I think the archive wiped any notion of living in the 70s as a good idea when I found a self-examination booklet. Mirrors and torchlights at the ready…oh, reminds me of Nany Drew!
PS:The LAIC timeline is up and running, and since it’s the only thing you’ll be able to access of the archive for the coming 18 months, best to take a look at it.
