INFORMATION

General Information

During the year 2000 D J Clark built a visual record of the Lancaster & Morecambe district using photographs and information submitted by those that feature in the pictures. The project was conducted in association with Lancaster Museum and has been archived for future generations to look back at the district at the turn of the new Millennium. For more information on the project visit the information page. If you find a caption is wrong or there is a fault with the page please e-mail D J Clark.

Photographer's Diary

Friday 23 June - Graduation Ball Lancaster University

It had been a while since I gate crashed my own Grad Ball at the same place. I was told it would be a totally different occasion but it wasn't. Just a few more suits and a fun fair outside.

I arrived at around 10 PM hoping to last all night. The funfair immediately grabbed my attention but it was still light and I realised it would get better. I shot the dodgems, this surely had to be the picture. Wandering the rest of the party it felt a little empty. Not of people but of emotion. The students didn't want the party to finish, after three years of relative safety. There was also a huge queue to the bar which meant they were too sober to ignore me. I received a mixed response of "who are you" to being mistaken for the money making photographer who was taking portraits of the beautiful people all dressed up.

I found a programme and realised it was a 4 AM finish. The Balloon designer asked me to stay to 2 AM when he was due to explode the balloons in the main hall, but by 1 AM I was uninspired. A few dodgy tribute bands and a very "not funny" comedian I endured for half an hour. I kept returning to the fair where I knew the best pictures would come, I think they did.