mayday97mayday98

http://www.mayday.var.org



(hosted by var e-zine)



a web site re-evaluating one year on since the 'sea-change' General

Election through observations of everyday life



The site goes on-line at 00.01hrs (BST) May 1st 1998 unfolding over

the day on an hourly basis until 23.59 hrs (BST). It presents selected

extracts from a project, initiated by poet / publisher cris cheek, as

a homage to Mass Observation, which generated a wide range of texts

and images from the everyday lives of people around Britain, on

Mayday 97. cris cheek (Sound & Language), together with Var editor,

Kirsten Lavers invite responses throughout mayday 98 to be uploaded

as they come in.





Not another Mass Observation project surely!



No. This is not about one person snooping on their neighbour, or

their community. These are those details of their own everyday lives,

that people have a desire to register. 'mayday97mayday98' begins to

map what people make a 'note' of, what strikes them, what catches

their attention. What is important to them, in that place and at that

time, however mundane or ephemeral that may appear to be.



Why this site, now?



Contributions to mayday97 inevitably included a lot of references

to the General Election. We thought that, one year on, some

reconsiderations were called for. The contributions invited to this

site on May 1st this year form part of that process. What results

will remain on-line for the foreseeable future, hosted by var e-zine,

at this URL. There will be other onward developments from this

project, including a planned book publication.



            - - -     How to take part this year     - - -



Everyone is encouraged to contribute to mayday98. Either in response

to something seen or read on the site OR an observation that YOU make

on May 1st this year. When we get your observation it will be loaded

up, asap. And your name (unless you ask otherwise), will be added onto

the growing list of contributors. You can contribute texts and images

of all kinds (photos, drawings, scans, photocopies, writing), shorter,

pithier, things are best. We might make a selection. NB. (Please do

it on May 1st only!)



- here's how

1. fax on  01223 576082

2. e-mail  kirsten@everyday.demon.co.uk

3. send an attachment with your e-mail message (we can accept rtf,

text, j.peg formats)

4. telephone a message to 01223 576082 we will check the answer

machine every half an hour and transcribe your message direct onto

the site



Things to include (optional)

-   your location (or the location of the observation)

-   your name (names will not be attached to individual contributions

on the site)

-   how we can contact you (a book is in the planning stages, and

other developments are likely from this site)



                                     ###



Mass Observation



Mass Observation was founded, sixty years ago, in 1937, by Tom

Harrison, a self trained anthropologist, Charles Madge, poet and

journalist, and Humphrey Jennings, painter, poet, writer and film-

maker. Mass Observation challenged the claim of the press to

represent the views of ordinary people. Despite the male grouping

that mobilised it, Mass Observation archived an extraordinary and

incomparably rich body of writing by women.



The Mass Observation Day Survey of May 12th 1937 exploded simplistic

notions of collective identity. It compiled reports, written on that

day by hundreds of people in all 'walks of life'. The result stands

as an interrogation of the construction of meta-narrative. However,

Mass Observation did contribute to the sense that 'big brother was

watching you', and resulted in some prurient 'othering'.



May 12th 1937 was the Coronation day of George VI - a day that was

claimed to represent a 'sea-change' for the British people. 'mayday

97' marked another such defining moment.



we look forward to receiving your observation

cris cheek and Kirsten Lavers



mayday97mayday98

http://www.mayday.var.org