At ‘one’…

I was in the kitchen making my lunch at the time. The dog barked, then the familiar noise of the postman pushing something through the letter box, I wasn’t expecting anything. Then, again, a second time, though perhaps something larger, pushing against the edges of the box…

Curious I ventured to the front door and amongst the usual bills and junk mail a larger brown envelope, the shade of all letters I receive from Canada, a more mustard tinge than our brown paper and on closer inspection my good friend Chris’s fountain pen inscribed address. It’s here! It’s early! 

In my excitement the sandwich stayed un-eaten as I tore open the envelope, carefully removed the contents and stood, still, glued to the spot flicking through its pages. Absorbing not just first impressions but fuel, energy, inspiration and a sense of my friends achievement. You see here was not another magazine, nor a book. It is a self published love letter to his experience of the hobby, it is personal, original, a mix of craft, prototype and ideas gathered and choreographed by his passion for model railways.

 

Lunch beckoned but afterward, a coffee made and the sun coming in through the lounge window invited me to take a longer break. As I began to read more deeply I found its voice and collection of familiar material, but here presented in a new and more tactile way, edited and redrawn for the form, to be enjoyed without screen, without distraction. The approach is a series of articles not connected by subject, as you’d expect in a traditional magazine which means the whole thing has a ‘pick up put down’ feel. I keep coming back to it, re-enjoying pre-read material and finding new things to absorb. 

Pausing to think about a message, idea or prototype and then diving off into my own thinking - it’s a catalyst.

I have always enjoyed our friendship for that catalytic effect on my own work, our conversations and ideas, our joint pieces that fuel both new and enjoyment of old material. In these pages I hope others can find that same sense of energy, as if Chris has distilled the very essence of Prince Street. In a world where there are many who are quick to share their opinions but slow to act on them it is refreshing and not entirely surprising that it is Chris who has created a magazine in a new form, perhaps a one man manifesto at this stage but the idea that if we want something, if we’re dissatisfied with what already exists than there is nothing stopping us creating our own thing is powerful. ‘one’ is encouraging, in Chris’s gentle, self effacing and almost poetic prose he makes it all feel so wonderfully achievable. In this way, as well as standing alone as Prince Street on paper, I selfishly hope ‘one’ becomes a statement of the art of the possible. All that said, I’m afraid if you don’t have a copy you can’t get one as this print run has already sold out.

In a final act of mutual admiration, I’ll end with this…

Thank you Chris.

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