Wells Art Contemporary

Installation Day July 11th 2023

Amazing day spent installing ‘Confetti’ in the South Transept of Wells Cathedral.

I repurposed nineteenth century paper mechanical music organette and pianola rolls, punched with holes to create the songs’ data.

The shapes of the cut away sections in the paper rolls – the negative spaces or binary ‘holes’ were screen-printed across the surface of the paper prior to installation. This ‘confetti’ motif dances across the surface of the paper rolls.

The printed confetti motif was inspired by stories of how the ‘punched out’ physical waste from IBM cards, a related technology, was used as confetti by company employees.

Wells Cathedral’s head verger spoke to me during installation about his early working life and his memories of using punch card data waste, known as ‘chads’ or ‘bits’, as confetti. Through my engagement with these artefacts, I seek to highlight and extend such narratives.

Within the stains and creases of its material body, the ephemeral paper rolls hold traces of the many who have handled them. They bear witness to the past while continually interacting with the present.

Photographs taken during Installation

‘Confetti’ Site Specific Installation in the South Transept of Well Cathedral 5th August – 2nd September 2023

Many thanks to the Tracy Hill – Research Associate and coordinator of ‘Artlab’ Contemporary Print Studio at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and her team who offered much help and support in the planning and printing of this project. Over two days we printed 80 meters of musical rolls.