PERSONAL ARCHIVE CONSERVATION
“I’ve been very pleased with the work Vicky has done to bring some precious but neglected archive material back to life.”
- SIR Michael Palin
life in the spotlight
As a professional in the creative arts – whether you’re an actor, musician, writer or comedian - your work has produced a huge amount of papers, photographs and ephemera alongside the unique memories and experiences of your career.
This material can have great significance, not just personally but maybe also culturally - and that means it is worth preserving.
You might have an existing collection that needs attention or maybe it's the opposite; you don't have any material and wish to create an archive from scratch - either way, I can help.
UNCOVER YOUR CREATIVE LEGACY
What do you do with all the material you accumulate during a film or production? More than likely, throw it all into a drawer and move on to the next project. You've probably amassed a few boxfuls by now.
A busy schedule means you never have the time to sort through it, let alone find the photographs your publicist has requested, or the source material you need for your book.
Maybe now is the time to open the boxes and see what's there. There are bound to be some hidden gems and sources of inspiration, things you had forgotten all about.
Picture this material being organised, catalogued and easily located: photographs, press cuttings, letters, diaries and scripts, stored and protected in museum-quality materials.
archive research & creation
On the other hand, if you haven't built up a collection along the way but now would like a tangible record of your career, I can search out and gather material with which to create your archive.
This could include interviews, articles, playbills and photographs. Most will be copies but it is possible that some originals can be found. This material can be professionally printed and compiled into any format, whether this is purely digital or presented in bespoke bindings.
EXPERIENCED CONSERVATOR & ARCHIVIST
My name is Vicky West and I'm an Accredited Book & Paper Conservator. With over twenty years experience working with archives including a decade at the British Library, I have conserved many items of cultural and historic value, from Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebook to Will Self’s Post-It notes.
I would like to help preserve your history too; it might have more significance than you think. I won't be daunted by your dust-covered boxes or the scale of the task! I will gather it together, put it in order and build a collection that reflects your work and career to date.
ORGANISE AND PRESERVE
I offer specialised expertise that ensures that your valuable archive is preserved now and in the future.
Whether you want to be hands-on or prefer me to take the lead, I’ll go through piece by piece and organise, catalogue and carefully conserve the original items until your collection takes shape.
Digitisation can be arranged to convert your analogue photographs into a format that is easy to search and share.
BESPOKE PRESENTATION
Once complete, your archive will be beautifully presented in a format of your choice, be it museum-grade storage boxes or bespoke display albums - whatever suits your preference.
Not only will your archive be properly preserved for the future but will be organised and accessible in the here and now, so that you will be able to find whatever you need for your current projects.