Back in 1985, the communication methods that we take for granted today were completely non-existent. There were no emails, no mobile phones, no texting. Even owning an answer machine at the time was considered a little bit ‘flash'. I acquired one because I was working night shifts and was forever missing calls.

I began saving the messages mainly because I thought they would make a nice ‘diary' of sorts, especially since I didn't have the time or inclination to write one. But as time went by and a host of characters passed through my life, I began to think there might be an interesting ‘arts project' in the making. Each 60min cassette tape was duly numbered, dated and stored in a shoebox until finally, 20 years after I started, I felt the time was right to put something together…

‘Talk To Me' (duration: 23mins) features over 100 messages (selected from literally thousands) that I feel have captured the essence of life for both me and a number of others in my circle as it unfolded over the last two decades. They are interwoven with music over a continuous montage of photos depicting each caller.

Mark Craig

talktome@gmail.com