Royal Hastings, University of London Multimedia Art MA Final Project

Candidate name: Alyson Lang

Candidate number: 0883484

What went right:

Thorney Coffin isn’t just a museum. The old radios are a diversion. They give staff something to do when the whole point of the place is to do absolutely nothing. I doubt everyone who works there knows the truth. They probably bring visitors to look around from time to time. It helps to have people who can say, ‘Well, I was there and it was nothing out of the ordinary.’

We wanted to expose them. Shame them in front of the world. But plans change. What went right was that we got in and found the room. All thanks to our inside woman, whose alcoholism made her easy to manipulate. She got us the maps and codes we needed. It was easy. Way too easy.

What went wrong:

We’d been planning this for so long that, when I saw it there, tiny and innocent-looking, I couldn’t help myself. It suddenly felt pointless to take photographs, so I took the whole thing. A moment’s impulse. Why do I act like that? Always have. Was that the start, or had the chain of events already begun? Because we’d all been focused on the same thing, then that night in Somerset we spun off in different directions. Until the RD 8 event, when we’ll come together again. But by the time you read this, Gela, we’ll be long gone.

Documents sent to me by Gela Nathaniel:

WhatsApp chat between Gela Nathaniel and Cameron Wesley, 16 January 2024:

Cameron

Jem, the little minx, has booked us all in one room!

Gela

I’ve asked and she says it’s a big room with six beds.

Cameron

A double and four bunks.

Gela

Oh no! Well, mistakes in online bookings are easily made, even if you’re not visually impaired.

Cameron

Mistake? Look, we’ll sort something out. It’ll be fine.