AMC2 Issue 5: Notes Home

Year: 2013
Edition: First
Pages: 60
Dimensions: 21.2 x 14.8 cm
Format: Softcover

Includes an original postcard.

Published to coincide with Notes Home, an exhibition curated by the Archive of Modern Conflict’s Timothy Prus and Ed Jones for Format Festival 2013, issue 5 of Amc² features picture postcards from the archive’s permanent collection. The postcards, all sent from resorts on England’s east coast, perform the dual function of allowing us to visualise the places and events they record and providing us with insights into the emotional and cultural temperaments of those who sent them. Texts on the reverse sides of the cards report events to friends and families back home in Nottingham, Derby and Leicester in much the same way as our emails would do today. These records of many ordinary family holidays encapsulate the collective memories of English seaside locations that have come down to us through the generations.

Postcards received from British holidaymakers today are more likely to feature one of the Spanish Costas or a resort in south-east Asia, but the fact that 2013’s Rough Guide Travel Hot List includes Kent’s Margate as one of the world top 10 destinations reminds us that the resorts of the east coast continue to function and will also continue to hold a special place in our hearts and minds.