Yer weird, Yer short, Yer Ma tells me, Yer gay

One Copy Library - The Lovely Eggs & Jackie Hagan

Tried to find a bit of quiet space in Manchester Central Library to do some work, but in vain. Every single horizontal space that wasn't floor was occupied. Never mind, there were other options elsewhere.

However, I did find this in the Henry Watson Music Room. The idea is to create an audio work that exists only as one physical copy. Once pressed as a record, all recordings, tapes, masters etc are deleted. It's not for sale and neither will the work ever be performed.

It's an interesting comment on the value of libraries in this digital age. It celebrates rarity and constraint. It highlights the importance of preserving physical objects for knowledge and insight as well as the obvious value that libraries and other archives, such as galleries and museums give to the public.

It also asks questions about the way in which recorded music is consumed today - rarely in physical form and often on the move.

If you've got a library card, you can ask the staff to let you listen to the record. I don't have a card, so I have to imagine what it sounds like. But based on the couple of times I've seen The Lovely Eggs play I like to think it's pretty special. And the collaboration with Jackie Hagan would make it even more so.