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Project:

Both the collection and the actual auction event exceeded my expectations for the project, making for one of the strangest and, at times, tense days out I have ever had.

Reflecting the eclectic assortment of objects originally sold in 1949, the new commissioned work included: a contemporary piece of music derived from 1949 samples, glazed cases containing muffled sounds of animals (impersonated by the artist), an undeveloped roll of film, a six foot bear, an architectural model, an unfamiliar board game, a strange taxidermy specimen and a quantity of d'oyleys, odd serviettes, and pieces of linen. The commissioned work was also accompanied at the viewing by original paintings from the Manchester Collection, a number of which had been borrowed back from collections around the country.

"Thanks for a great day out. I thought the exhibition was really good, the way you'd hung it in those rooms. As for the event, it was fantastic, the drama, move over Mark Wallenger that auction was the nearest thing art gets to the excitment of sport. You probably don't want to hear this, but rather strangely the bids which didn't reach the reserve actually heightened the tension, again sorry for using a football metaphor, but it was like watching a tense 4-3 win, which is much more exciting than a 6-0 thrashing. I hope you made enough money."

Phil Jones - Auction Bidder