Fake Fans
Inspired by the concept of paper towns – a fictitious entry on a map used to help unmask copyright infringements – Fake Fans is a project exploring the tense football rivalry between two teams – Coulthard F.C. and Arundel Rovers – residing in the same fictional town of Wanhall. Originally, the project was light-hearted and comedic in nature, with pub brawls and frivolous arguments dictating the narrative and outcomes. To give the project some reality and context, I looked into the 3-day week of early 1974.
The 3-day week was introduced by the Government in response to the miner’s strikes and fuel shortages. The country was told to “Switch Something Off” and the working week was shortened to only 3 days, with many factories opening Thursday – Saturday. This led to the initiation of Sunday football as, although previously a legally religious day of rest, workers could no longer attend Saturday matches. The outcome is an archive of work belonging to a Coulthard F.C. supporter and relating to a particular match in ’74 – documenting the rivalry between the teams as well as hinting at the social context at the time. Drawing on satire and the tongue-in-cheek attitude of ‘70s lower-league English football, the project is an exploration of narrative and world-building.
