May the Force be With You
Jonathan Savage
Managing Director at UCan Play; Regional Director for Restore the Music UK; Trustee, Love Music Trust
One of the great joys of running a community music rehearsal studio - the UCan Studios based in Wheelock near Sandbach - is finding a range of interesting artwork, objects and other artefacts to fill the large spaces offered by an old mill.
A key factor in our decisions here has been to find pieces that reflect our own interests and passions whilst making connections to those that visit us and use our facilities. One over-riding category that fulfils both criteria is Stars Wars memorabilia, notably pieces of vintage art work that I have collected over the last thirty years. Trust me, my wife was delighted when our house was 'decluttered' (in her terms) and these pieces found their new home at the UCan Studios!
There are too many pieces to discuss in detail here, but hopefully you'll enjoy some of the pictures below. If you have any specific questions about the artwork of Ralph McQuarrie, Joe Johnston and others, or how a quartet of pieces were rescued from a flood in a comic art shop in New York by an Englishman, then please feel free to ask those in the comments and I'll pick up on these in more detail there.
What we have found is that visitors young and old (and by young, I mean primary school aged children) have an enduring love for Star Wars (old and new). These pieces spark conversations which break silences, lead to enthusiasm for the space and a joy for the music-making that it contains.