Ephemera
Gathering ephemera was a relatively leisurely task as three of the locations had outlets of fliers, which allowed me to collect a hoard of diverse advertisements and leaflets. I can see the benefits of such research, but the majority of material gathered served only to build a holistic picture of the local area.
The Royal Armouries:
Stephen H. Smith's Garden Centre:
Otley Courthouse:
Notes
Three Seats
The following notes have been copied from the scrawling that I made whilst sitting in each spot.
I thought it better to retype them for the benefit of legibility, as the cold weather appears to have made some writing quite difficult to decipher.
Seat One: The Chevin - Surprise View
The seat does not resemble a bench or stool in the traditional sense, it is a boulder upon the summit. The Chevin is a large hill which overlooks the town of Otley, it was forged by a passing glacial drift several hundred million years ago. I can confidently state that the temperance is perpetually cold.
Questions:
.Why are there so many people wandering around up here at 08:20?
.Why is there an outcrop of oddly piled boulders at this altitude?
.How long has this place been a place of human convergence?
.There are so many dogs up here… and yet the amount of fouling is quite reserved, why?
.Do the majority of people drive or walk up here?
.What makes this view so sublime?
.Why is there such a tradition of name carving into these rocks?
.Why is there no dense foliage at the very summit?
.Why is it so much colder here?
.What happened to the wildlife?
.Why are the rocks damp and glistening when it has not rained?
.What was the place used for before it became a public wandering spot?
.Has there ever been a significant man-made structure up here?
.Have any notable historical events happened up here?
.Are there regular events that happen up here (cult activity)?
.What is that peculiar squawking sound over yonder?
.What makes the air taste better here?
.Has anyone died here?
.Have any crimes been committed here?
Observations:
.I have seen at least 20 dog walkers, the majority of which wore hats.
.Every substantial rock is covered in graffiti.
.I can still hear the echoing traffic of Otley and the occasional take-off and landing at the airport.
.There is very little litter, the forest rangers are obviously very proficient at their job.
.There are several carvings made to illustrate the geological trail by Shane Green.
.The grass along the trail appears to be trimmed regularly.
.There is a relatively newly build stone wall to the west.
.I can see my house from here.
.The landscape has a surprising amount of hues.
.The temperance is affecting my handwriting.
.I can no longer feel my bottom.
.There is a regular flow of cars entering and leaving the car park to the south.
.I cannot hear traffic coming from Guisley, despite it being equally close as Otley.
.The wind carries no particular smell.
.The low sun still carries a pinky hue, it must be way past 09:30
.I have now judged that the majority of people come here by car, rather than scaling the hill with their limbs.
.I saw only one other human during my walk up here, the majority of people seem to loiter around the car park.
.The demographics of walkers is caucasian and within the age range of 30-60.
.The heavy cloud spills over the eastern moors in a most peculiar way.
Facts:
.The car park is occupied with no more than 8 cars at a time.
.I have counted 39 sheep in the neighbouring fields.
.I can see three small lakes from this vantage point.
.The western power station has 6 cooling towers.
.I always sneeze in pairs.
.I have counted three mounds of dog excrement.
.There are two dog poo bins within 50 yards of each other.
.Leeds is 9 miles away.
.There nearest pub is 'The Royalty'.
.There are 4 information boards up here.
.The six dales tril begins at this point, it is 38 miles long.
.I have estimated that the car park can fit more than 50 modest vehicles.
.It is an offence to allow dog fouling, the maximum fine is £1000.
.On a clear day it is possible to see York Minster from this position, but not today.
.A man watched me from outside his car for more than 5 minutes.
.I have seen 1 plastic bottle and 2 cans.
.I have not seen any birds.
Seat Two: The Royal Armouries: The War Room
The museum has a bounteous seating areas as well as portable gallery stools. The temperance is warm, the lighting comfortably low and there is a constant drone of voices as visitors saunter around.
Questions:
.Where did the collection come from? It's vast!
.Where does the majority of funding come from?
Who polishes all the armour and weapons?
.Who made these creepy fake mannequins and animals?
.Was the building built specifically to be the armouries?
[Pause due to sword duelling demonstration in the tournament section]
.Where do they find these actors trained in combat?
.Do they often receive new objects to exhibit, or is it quite stagnant?
.Were the various educational videos produced by one group, or by multiple parties?
.Why does the addition of a one foot high barrier so effectively discourage people from going to close to exhibits?
.Have there been acts of vandalism within the museum?
.What is the extent of security in the museum?
.Have all the weapons been pacified or machined?
.How many schools visit this site in a week?
.Is this museum quite anglo centric?
.What do the duties of the security staff involve?
.Are repairs to exhibits done on site?
.Has the general attendance of visitors been stable over time, or has it changed?
.Why 'Royal Armouries'?
.Does the museum essentially glaze over the consequences of war to remain family friendly?
Observations:
.There are two cleaners who appear to be polishing all of the glass surfaces, they converse quite happily as they work.
.'The Sword of the Ranger' is missing from the Hobbit exhibition.
.The 'Ghosts and Goblins' arcade machine is missing.
.Visitors genuinely range in demographics.
.11:00 - 13:00 appears to be the peak arrival time of school trips.
For some reason the riot policeman and fencer are the only costumed mannequins sealed of in peculiar wire cages, while all others use glass cases.
.The boar in the Hunting section has large bollocks which are immediately seen by visitors entering the room.
.The fifth floor of the Hunting section is the most neglected by visits due to the awkward stair cases.
.4 people attended the talk about Tudor tournament.
The gallery stools are comfortable, although wobbly.
.The plaster detailing of each distinctive section is styled to reflect the theme, so the Oriental section has a faux porcelain tile rooftop.
.I saw one brail panel for the blind.
.The benches of each areas are oddly distinctive.
.There are not visual examples of violence, it is instead described or alluded to vocally or through literature.
.A diorama which included a masked soldier bursting into a child's bedroom has been removed, probably because it was disturbing,
.The informative video screens effectively show how far technology has evolved over the last 20 odd years.
.The interior decorating of the museum is quite neutral, mostly tones of grey, white and beige.
.CCTV is reserved and un-intrussive compared to other museums and galleries.
.Video and audio narrators speak with received pronunciation.
.Visitors spend less than 10 seconds per exhibit.
.Visitors avoid loitering by video screens, and rarely watch them.
Facts:
.The majority of the collection came from the Tower of London.
.A gun was commissioned during the construction of the armouries, It is called the 'Leeds Gun' and cannot be viewd in the museum.
.The museum was indeed built for purpose and was opened by Her Majesty the Queen.
[A pause as I notice a security man stealing glances at me]
.The design team behind the armouries was led by a man called Derek.
.The Royal Armouries conservators are situated at 3 sites across the country, being here in Leeds, the Tower of London and Fort Nelson.
.Apparently conservation is split into prevention and intervention
.I have counted 4 gas masks in the museum.
.There are definitely more than 14 horses in the museum.
.There are 2 elephants in the museum.
.The building has 5 floors accessibly to the public, there is a secret 6th floor.
.I have counted 3 separate school groups.
.There is a large amount of solo visitors.
.The museum guide costs £5 and includes a free poster of King Henry the 8th, which I was not given.
.The building has one primary lift chamber.
.Restrictive barrier posts are spaced at 1 or 2 metre intervals.
There are 4 roofed buildings in the armouries.
.The largest gun I have seen was more than 3 metres long.
.I have seen somewhere between 100-200 people during my time in the museum.
.There are 6 gallery stools in the War room.
.All exhibited pieces are vacuumed clean.
Seat Three: Otley Courthouse - Cell
This converted courthouse is now a cultural centre of Otley with frequent events suchs as plays, gigs and art classes. I used to participate in amateur plays here, so it is saturated with weird memories.
The cell block contains several restored cells close to how they might have looked in the 1800s, when they were in regular use.
Questions:
.What sort of crimes landed people in this cell?
.What was the longest amount of time that someone was locked in here?
.How many people have stayed in this cell?
.How many of those awaited to be hanged?
.Are the furnishes in this room the original articles?
.Why are the other cells locked?
.How accurate is the restoration?
.Did anyone escape the cells?
.Why isn't the toilet functional?
.Has anyone spent a night in here since the courthouse was converted?
.Are there any reported ghosts here?
.Why is it so calming to sit here?
Why were to cells put on the second floor?
.Has anyone died in these cells?
.Are these cells currently used for anything other than being places of mild interest?
.Who decided to put art exhibitions along this corridor?
.How frequently do new exhibitions get put up?
.How did they get that bed in here? It is much larger than the door and does not appear to be easily assembled or disassembled.
.How many guards have watched these cells when they were in use?
.What sort of demographics sat within these four walls?
Observations:
.I began to count to tiles in the room and lost count at 233.
.The toilet plumbing is all intact but the lever is not functional, nor is the bowl full of water.
.There is one light fixture and three windows.
.The door can be bolted from the outside, it is however none-functional.
.A deliver window in the door has been covered and painted over.
.The eye hole for prisoner inspection is still functional.
.As I sat I became more aware of the claustrophobic nature of the room, despite the initial airy feel it gave.
.A person that interrupted my sitting session explained that she comes in here to make private phone calls.
.I loitered outside to wait for the woman to finish her call, when she left she has a peculiar expression. I would describe her face as shocked and distant.
.The first two visitors had come to see the art.
.I am sat on the toilet, it is a curios thing to do when not actively using it.
.The room smells faintly of new paint.
.Nothing in the room is matt, the light appears to give everything a sheen.
.I estimate the bed being a double, which I find singularly odd.
.There is no graffiti in the cell.
.There is no evidence of escape attempts or violence.
.I cannot hear anything.
.The two windows are roughly opposite each other, one outfacing, the other into the corridor.
Facts
.The cell measures about 4 by 4 metres.
.There are 4 cells, 3 of which are locked.
.The building ceased to be a court in 1997.
.Another 4 cells used to exist on the first floor of the building, which is now a bar.
.The Courthouse was converted into and arts an resource centre in 2004.
.There are three windows.
.There is central heating.
.There is a non-functional button next to the door, probably a light switch,
.There is a small vent in the centre of the out-facing wall, it has 14 slits.
.Apparently the wide bed was to prevent drunkards from falling out.
.The corridor has inset pavement lighting.
.Three people interrupted my sitting session (all of which were women in their late 40s).
.The courthouse had 2 people in it when I first arrived.
.Someone was in the dressing room, despite there being no play or event on.
.1 smoker sat outside on the courtyard bench.
.There are no cars in the courtyard.
.The windows are too high to see through and I am 6ft.
.There is no litter or evidence of previous presence in the room.
.There is 1 loose wire in the ceiling.
.There are handles on both sides of the door.
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