BPMA featured in Royal College of Art Degree Show

Fraser’s showcased work, 381 City Road, places the reader in the position of researcher. Taking its cue from curiosity about a building that no longer exists, the book takes the reader into the streets and archives of London to discover why this might be the case. At one point the exploration takes the reader into The British Postal Museum and Archive when the story crosses paths with Nellie Carver, a woman working for the Post Office in the Telex section during the Second World War.

The book’s structure and design echoes the process of research with secret folds and flaps in the pages reflecting the hidden nature of archival information. It aims to lay bare the mechanics and complexity of constructing a picture of the past.  

The book is on show at the Royal College of Art until 5th of July. See the Show RCA 2008 website for further details and opening times. 

Further information on Fraser’s work and images of the work are available on Annabel's website.

Extracts from the book relating to the BPMA:

‘…At home you continue the search to see if the General Post Office building is mentioned on any pages on the Internet. Sure enough, as you expected, it is. However, there is no mention of a location for a Telex Section where Nellie worked. You continue searching and come across a page about a Post Office Museum and Archive. Every institution and enthusiasm seems to have a repository of collected information these days. It says it’s located in the Mount Pleasant main distribution centre. But you’ve passed that building so many times and not noticed anything. You give the number a ring. They confirm that it is indeed situated in that building. Unlike most archives you’ve been to, this one does not require you to book a table. You can just turn up…’

‘…The Post Office Archive is located in a part of the Mount Pleasant sorting depot where a member of public has least need to go. You discover you’ve passed by this place but metres from the entrance without noticing it before. The building sits like a stranded whale in a sea of small nineteenth century houses, now converted into offices. The door to the archive looks apologetic on the side of this enormous facade, like the kind of entrance to the pick-up services at IKEA. However, you are pleasantly surprised as you walk inside. There’s an exhibition of stamps and the place does not feel like the forgotten corner you were expecting….’

‘….You ask the woman behind the desk whether they have information about the General Post Office (GPO) building. Immediately she knows what you are talking about and pulls out not one but three folders full of information. You open each file with that usual expectation attached to any wrapped object, taking a cursory look at the documents and photos they contain. You are confronted with something you were not expecting. You presumed that Nellie Carver had worked in the King Edwards Building, but now, you are not so sure. Each folder refers to a separate building associated with the GPO in that area. There were three of its buildings at the south end of St Martins-le-Grand. It is not clear in which building the Telex department was located and on asking the staff in the archive, none of them are too sure either. They say the British Telecom archive will probably know. If you choose to follow this lead, turn to page 27. If you stay to look more closely at what’s in these folders, turn to page 19…’

Copyright © Annabel Fraser

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