Accept No Other Imitations

Accept No Other Imitations is a publication that documents research, proposals, critical writing and projects conducted as part of a Fellowship funded by Tussauds Studios (owners of Madame Tussauds). The preliminary research phase of Kular’s Fellowship included an in-depth survey of the design and fabrication of themed entertainment venues. The research for this included site visits to venues, interviewing industry professionals, attending monthly think-tanks at Tussauds Studios and online research into international examples. The material was logged in an online archive/library, accessible to Tussauds studios’ employees, who used it as a research tool for their own projects; in return they provided feedback and links to new examples. The research survey was later broadened to include investigations into the relationship between themed entertainment and impersonation, role-play, re-enactments and simulations. The secondary phase of the Fellowship was critical analysis, identifying key themes, methods and processes in the research examples. This became the conceptual frame for a proposal of four public events to combine art, design, and performance in investigating the relationship between entertainment, authenticity and audience participation. Two of these events were realised as public projects: ‘Elvis Was Here’, St Saviour’s Church of England Primary School, London and ‘Ready Steady Charlie’, V&A Museum, London. Through the public projects, Kular addressed research questions concerning the legal definition of impersonation, legacy, identity and authenticity in an alternative context. The final phase was the publication (2009). This included research examples, documentation of projects and a number of commissioned essays, notably from author and MacArthur Fellowship Award winner George Saunders, who responded to various key aspects of the research and projects conducted. The project was also featured in the exhibition ‘nowhere/now/here’, LABoral AICC, Asturias, Spain (2008–9)