Poor Copy is the body of work made for my PhD.  It comprises moving-image, performance, textiles, zines, and sound works investigating historical narratives and archival fragments of Michael Jackson’s visits to Devon, UK, during the early 2000’s. These stories act as a nexus to explore ideas of personal and public archives of a regional history that have transcended into urban legend. Using archival photos and video, press reports, interviews, and fan art, the work investigates the intersection of history and myth, global and local performance, and hoaxes and disbelief in relation to pop cultural icons, celebrity, fame and the media. Outcomes from my PhD include book chapters, award-winning journal articles (awarded for methodological innovations in the field of Fan Studies), and the works briefly described below. The written element of the PhD can be accessed at the University of Plymouth research theses collection.

Like a pantomime uses oral history interviews and archival research to platform two fan communities' narratives of the day that Michael Jackson visited Exeter City Football Club in 2002. Two actors perform verbatim dialogue from Michael Jackson fans and Exeter City football fans, while attempting to learn MJ choreography via a youtube dance tutorial.

No Such Event Took Place is a sound and photographic piece, which investigates the provenance of the only image documenting the 1999 'Michael Jackson' concert in Barnstaple, North Devon.

Yes, It Really Did Happen is a video piece documenting an institutional archive’s narrative of the Jackson at Exeter City Football Club event, using microfiche images of local newspapers.

raremjvideos1 is a videowork using archival footage from online forums of the Jackson in Exeter history, filmed by the security guard working with Jackson at that event.

These artworks were shown in solo presentations at Exeter Phoenix, Jerwood Visual Arts, London (part of the Staging Series programme), and The Northern Charter, Newcastle.

Essays reflecting on the project:
‘Poor, Poor Copy’ By Johanna Linsley, reflecting on the exhibition at Jerwood Visual Arts.
8 poor copies’ by Owen G Parry, reflecting on the exhibition at The Northern Charter.

Like A Pantomime performed by Matt Reeve and Sara Versi.

Images of Poor Copy at Jerwood Visual Arts courtesy of Hydar Dewachi.

With thanks for funding and support from the Histories, Memory Work, and Memorialisation doctoral studentship at University of Plymouth, Jerwood Arts, Exeter Phoenix, The Northern Charter, and Arts Council England.