A wise person once reminded me that "the greatest artefacts in Western popular culture were created, compiled and produced under the specific controls which required people to consume them in periodicals of halves and quarters, and the act of condensing these periods is evidence not only of a society deeply entrenched in economic rationality, but one that is also willing to destroy its own history". In another conversation regarding the value of vinyl recording, this same person actioned toward a compact disc pressing of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band exclaiming "it's ridiculous; the heads are so damn small you can't even bloody tell which one is Ringo!"
Filmmaker Sean Dunne (American Juggalo, The Bowler) introduces the world (wide web) to Paul Mawhinney, the proud owner of the largest music collection on the planet (discounting iTunes of course). With its World War II bunker-style decor, The Archive transports the viewer into a nostalgia-infused state of splendor, before promptly dumping reality at your feet, as you realise that collecting vinyl records runs adverse to a world which embraces countless reality music television shows, whilst simultaneously abandoning retail music outlets.
Although only eight minutes in length, one gets the feeling that Mawhinneys struggle for recognition is more compex than society's newly accustomed throwaway music culture. As a music collector myself, I find it hard to fathom that the Smithsonian wants little to do with The Archive, and perhaps this may just be another case of 'Teri Horton-ism' (Who the #$% is Jackson Pollock), a class-battle within an elitist artistic institution.
The Archive is also available on: Vimeo
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