Friday 27 September 2019

When History met Art and became a book …………….. tonight ..... in Chorlton Library

We all have an idea about how a book is written but today Andrew and Peter will explore how they do it, with that usual mix of style, good taste and more than a bit of irreverence.

They have been collaborating for over a decade, and have produced everything from street installations, to exhibitions and of course their books which are a unique mix of Peter’s paintings with period photographs and maps, and Andrew’s stories of the past.

They focus on “the stories behind the doors”, and of people who history hasn’t just forgotten but never bothered to notice.

Often it starts with one of Peter’s paintings and the challenge for Andrew to “find the story”.  That challenge has now extended to seven published books, covering the history of Chorlton, Didsbury and city centre Manchester, with a foray into the fascinating story of an Elizabethan hall.

Now all this is a tad more remarkable given that both are dyslexic, and only wrote their first book together in 2013.

But Andrew had already published his first book the year before, and Peter had long been exhibiting his paintings.

So, given that they first met back in 1982, they decided it was time they got together, and combined their different skills which led to those seven books, and invitation from Chorlton Book Festival to talk about the partnership.*

Now there were alternative titles for tonight’s event, ranging from Travels with two dyslexics, A paintbrush, a faded letter and lot of books, and lastly, When the historian met the artist and it became a book ……………….. seven times.

In the end they went for the simpler, When History met Art and became a book, or how to create a book from the beginning to the end.

In the course of the evening Peter will explain the technical challenge of integrating his paintings, original images and contemporary pictures, with the stories, while Andrew will touch on how he went about the research, revealing some of the stories which never made the books.

And not wanting to short change anyone, they will be bringing along a full selection of the books, some fascinating pictures of Chorlton in the not so distant past and a few unseen photographs of the pair from when Harold Wilson was Prime Minister, Wagon Wheels were still their original size, and Sunday television ended at 10.30 with that little white dot.

The event is free, starts at 7.30 in Chorlton Library and looks to be a night of informative fun with an opportunity to quiz the authors, on everything from why they self-publish their books, to Peter’s style of painting and Andrew’s inability to spell.

 When History met Art and became a book, is the talk by Andrew Simpson and Peter Topping, and is part of the Chorlton Book Festival.

Location; Chorlton Library, Manchester Road, Chorlton, M21 9PN

*Chorlton Book Festival September 20-28, 2019, https://www.chorltonbookfestival.co.uk/


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