In 2002 classical musician Max Richter released his first solo album to critical acclaim. Almost 20 years later we were briefed to create album artwork for a new remastered independent pressing. A limited number of 1500 copies of the 12" vinyl were produced.

Memoryhouse is a personal work in which Richter explores how music can document the political. Real and imagined histories and musical languages are intertwined to create a personal narrative and a unique compositional voice. Key themes include memory, violence, time and interconnectivity.

The album has been described by critics as ‘a repository of scattered memories, like a muddled stack of old photographs’ and a ‘65-minute journey through the beauty and tragedy of twentieth century Europe’ (Chris Lo, BBC Music).

Referencing the theme of memory and the title of one of the tracks, ‘Sarajevo’, we found photographer Alastair Thain’s extraordinary images of Sarajevo shot from the same position 10 years apart. When Thain returned to the location of the cover image in 2006, he discovered the same make of car in exactly the same spot as in his 1996 war-torn scene.

There is a strong artistic juxtaposition between the two photos, reflecting the way that the album also moves backwards and forwards through time, drawing parallels and contrasts. As with Thain’s photographic series, the memories scattered through Memoryhouse are united by a pattern of trauma and violence, but there are also moments of hope.

The centre spread of the gatefold album features a further pairing from Thain’s Sarajevo project, depicting two states of aftermath following the conflict in former Yugoslavia. The images were also shot on film from the same position a decade apart.

The concept was designed to work equally as well on the large canvas of a vinyl sleeve as a small digital thumbnail.

Memoryhouse

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