For my first project I have chosen a vinyl music record as my found object. I’ve had an idea of using album covers to create an art wall before this course started. Back in the summer of 2021, I was collecting interesting album covers to create a wall art display in my flat. I have always been fascinated by record covers with their often outrageous designs, bright colours, exotic lettering or enigmatic photographs. Walking the streets of Edinburgh I collected over 50 record covers of all styles and types. I visited endless charity shops, independent second hand vinyl stores and flea markets. I scanned their collections and joyfully immersed myself in the whole searching and buying experience. It took me to areas of the city I had never been before, exploring neighbourhoods I was unfamiliar with and meeting vinyl fans whose passion and knowledge amazed me. Often I left feeling guilty that I was more interested in the cover art than in the music inside.
Independent record stores selling vinyl are rare these days and have an aura of secrecy, survival and even almost moral superiority about them. My experiences led me to think about the almost lost art of buying and listening to music and how music has become such a common almost disposable commodity, rather than artists and their work being treasured and appreciated. I wondered what we had lost along the way in converting from vinyl to digital and streaming. Has digital music lost the beauty of the vinyl sound. Is it just this that the aficionados talk about that has been lost or is it more than that?
