How We Used a National Collection To Tell Local Stories
Written by Harry Jelley
Edible Archives love exploring collections. When me and Sonia first arrived at the British Library for this project we were greeted by curator and collaborator Polly Russell. Once we’d chatted through the project over a cup of tea, with a biscuit, of course, Polly pointed us towards some of her favourite and more unusual items from the collection that she thought would inspire us.
It was clear that one visit wouldn’t be enough time to see all the gems in this national collection. We came back time and time again to research for The Bradford Selection. Honestly, even a two-year project wasn’t enough and it’s interesting to think what influences we could have folded into this project with even longer to dig through.
The research we did at the British Library is woven through this project. The conversations that we had during coffees between research sessions pushed the project forward. And the people that we met at the Library helped us develop the concepts for The Bradford Selection, including the sound piece, the artworks, and the design of the tin.
The Bowling Park Community Orchard insert, drew heavily on Francesca Greenoak’s Forgotten Fruit: The English Orchard and Fruit Garden (X.322/12769). This book provided detailed illustrations and classifications of apple varieties. The effects of a changing climate and narrow preferences of supermarkets on apple varieties came up often in our conversations with volunteers at the orchard. The title intrigued us and revealed that this concern stretched back years and years. We brought into the design illustrations inspired by this book, particularly of volunteer Julia’s favourite apple, the Ribston Pippin, and also the idea of listing apples to create their own poem based on the fabulous names alone.
The theme of community land use was also core to this story, and we wanted to find the deep roots of such stories. In The Allotment: Its Landscape and Culture (YC.1988.a.8767) we found our first reference to the Girlington Klondyke Land Grab of 1906. We saw this again in a poster at the 1in12 Club, which inspired us to keep researching. This story became part of the insert, the sound piece, and an image of a land-grabber was the reference image for one of our illustrations. This connected community-owned greenspaces across centuries.
Continuing the 1in12 club connection, we loved finding out that the zines, pamphlets and poetry published by the collective were held in the British Library. A little slice of anarchy amongst the order. In the DIY Doing Business: A Mischief-makers Handbook (YC.1988.a.4692) we saw detail and design that inspired the tear-away, stick-on design elements featured in the 1in12 Library Collective insert.
The design for the tin felt most important of all. It needed to feel special and connected to the stories themselves. We wanted to find detail and filigree from the collection to inspire the motifs of the tin. We found it in Corn, Roots, and Other Crops of the Farm (7074.a.32), the cover of which, and illustrations within, were used to inform the central wheat detail on a decorative biscuit tin. This nod to traditional crop imagery felt important with flour being a central part of the biscuits themselves.
Furthermore, the tin design itself was influenced by Biscuit Tins, 1868–1939: The Art of Decorative Packaging (LB.31.b.24426). Through the vintage packaging and histories of tin design we could explore how tins have been used to evoke themes, novelty, and heritage and we used as inspiration for how our tin could tell a story from the very moment that someone picked it up.
We’re grateful to Polly Russell and the British Library for their support. The influence of our collaboration resonates throughout the project and is felt in every layer of artwork, place, community, and heritage present in the project.
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The British Library is the national library of the UK. Their shelves hold over 170 million items – a living collection that gets bigger every day. You can use and explore the collection for free at Reading Rooms in Yorkshire and London or via a selection of online resources: bl.uk/research
