S.I.T.E. (Midlands Chapter): Location Re-Port 1.4 (M) - Supplementary

 

All Original Images: West Leicester, June 2022

This is a brief supplementary to our most recent report on the site in question.  Society members, associate members and interested parties in general, will appreciate the pressures, both temporal and financial, under which we currently labour. Nevertheless, it would be negligent not to at least endeavour to report the latest developments relating to the case (albeit somewhat  superficially) in the light of recent events.  With apologies for the paucity of detail and in-depth context contained within this bulletin, the salient points are itemised below:

• The whereabouts and movements of the field agent originally assigned to this case are still unknown.  Repeated attempts to contact them at their last known address have proved fruitless, and our files contain no details of family or other associates who might be contacted regarding the matter. Sadly, the society has neither sufficient financial resources to retain a private investigator, or staff with enough time to conduct an investigation under its own aegis.

• Since our last full report, the society has come into possession of the accompanying photographic images. These were enclosed within an A4 manilla envelope, and handed-in to our offices personally by the manager of the launderette where the previously itemised notebook was recovered. The envelope also contained a receipt from a well-known chain of while-you-wait photo-processing bureaux, where we must presume the images were printed [1.]. It appears that these photographs were subsequently inserted between the pages of the notebook, but may have been blown into the interior of the premises at the time it was dropped or discarded. 

• The paper-based prints were gathered from various locations within the launderette's interior by the manager in question, during a routine inspection visit. Whilst most were scattered across the floor, and in various corners, two were found protruding from a narrow gap between a washing machine and its neighbouring tumble dryer. Another was recovered from with a waste bin, where it had apparently survived after adhering to the underside of the plastic flip-top assembly (presumably whilst damp).

All Image Manipulations: October 2022

• As with the notebook itself, it is impossible to establish exactly how long the photographs remained at the launderette. Inevitably, given the humid atmosphere of location, the heavy footfall of clientele, and the presence of standing water and laundry products on the floor where the prints had rested - a degree of physical degradation had already occurred when they were recovered. The versions shown here have been digitised, following attempts to physically restore them to some degree of legibility by our forensic and archival teams.

• Wherever possible, evidence of obvious physical damage has been removed or repaired. A minimal amount of digital retouching was also carried out where deemed appropriate. However, it should be noted that some of the visual degradation evident within these images appears to be intrinsic to the images themselves. As our missing field agent was generally regarded to be a competent photographer (and assuming the photographs are indeed their work), it would therefore seem feasible to surmise that the images underwent some form of atmospheric, electrical or (al)chemical transformation at the actual moment of their capture or during subsequent digital storage. Most perplexingly, one image clearly appears to display the effects of multiple exposure. This is an effect once common in a bygone era of film-based photography, but impossible to achieve 'in-camera' using the digital equipment routinely supplied to our field agents.  

• As can be discerned in these images, some attempts at rudimentary safety measures were in operation at the site under investigation at the time the photographs were taken [2.].  These include two varieties of hazard-warning tape and hand-written alerts forbidding entrance and relating to an 'unsafe floor'. These would seem tom add some evidential weight to the somewhat abstruse meditations on the nature of decay written in the extant pages of the recovered notebook.

• No further material clues exist at this time. As ever, the society refrains from jumping to premature conclusions in such cases. Nevertheless, we must recognise that the formulation of numerous hypotheses, speculative narratives, or indeed - confected conspiracy theories, are only to be expected in circumstances such as these. Certainly (and despite our best efforts), it has proved impossible to quell certain rumours (even within our own organisation), connecting the unsafe nature of the survey site to the apparent disappearance of the field agent assigned to it. If there are those who choose to believe our agent may have actually gained access to the premises - we can only emphasise that it is impossible to either disprove or disprove that opinion at this time from the evidence recovered. 

[1.]: The receipt relates to a higher number of photographs than were returned to us. We must therefore surmise that several more were destroyed, remain missing, or are yet to be recovered.

[2.]: The vestigial remains of these are indeed evident in the (presumably subsequent) photographs taken by our senior committee member).

S.I.T.E. (Midlands Chapter): Location Re-Port 1.4 (M)

All Photo-Manipulations: September 2022

[Includes Passages of Reconfigured Translation]:

In the current economic climate, it is inevitable that any organisation such as ours finds it increasingly difficult to function at the levels to which we aspire. Funding cuts in all sectors of our operation become a sad necessity, to the point where even our core activities come under threat. Our ability to adequately recompense the network of field agents, on which we have always depended, become severely limited, and it is with reluctance that we have become increasingly reliant upon site surveys and  written reports elicited on a voluntary basis. Unsurprisingly, those same agents, on whose diligence and dedication we have built our success, now find their own resources of available time and energy (as well as their ability to self-fund), severely limited - often given the need to augment rapidly diminishing incomes through paid work elsewhere. Even where such additional revenue streams can be found, they are often unlikely to cover rapidly-inflating domestic bills, even before the additional expenses of site visits, etc. are factored-in. Thus, whilst our commitment to our researches (and belief in the cultural importance of our chosen mission) remain unabated, we are forced to recognise that the scope of our enterprise, along with the quality of the service we can offer, can only be  compromised at a time like this.

All Original Images: West Leicester, September 2022

In the light of this, it is only to be expected that regular visits to (and subsequent reports from) the specific location under consideration, should have become few and far between over recent months. Having already acknowledged that the field agent originally assigned to the case was finding themselves less and less able to devote the attention to it that they (or we) might desire - we agreed that the normal expectations should be relaxed - with the proviso that the necessary work be continued on an ad-hoc basis, as and when conditions allowed. Sadly, even this less formal arrangement now appears to have broken down. Having successfully attempted to contact the agent on numerous occasions, we are forced to conclude that they are currently inactive, and remain understandably perplexed by their failure to keep us updated with regard to their present status/whereabouts. This clearly a matter of some concern, when one considers the importance of the identified site as a potential portal of some transportive potential - and as the inevitable processes of entropy must continue unabated, and more importantly - undocumented.

In an attempt to shed a little more light on the situation, a senior member of our steering committee was able recently to clear sufficient time in their own demanding schedule, to visit the site personally. We can only thank them for their own dedication to the cause, and willingness to 'go the extra mile' in this way. The long hours undertaken in clearing the necessary permissions, not to mention the difficulty of securing the services of a chauffeur prepared to volunteer their time unpaid - in order to even commence the expedition, cannot be ignored. Thankfully, their efforts were justified, at least in respect of providing both a visual and written entropic update from the site (see images reproduced here, along with written documentation now filed in the official archive). Unfortunately, it proved possible to deduce very little about the current circumstances of our field agent.

However, one possibly significant, if somewhat perplexing piece of additional evidence did emerge from the visit. On leaving the site, our esteemed colleague observed, and was able to retrieve, a dilapidated notebook - apparently discarded beside the doorway of an adjacent launderette. Careful examination of this only partially intact artefact suggest that the miscellaneous scribblings within are indeed in the handwriting of our missing field agent. Cross-referencing with earlier missives on file at our headquarters, and consultation with a qualified lexicographer appear to further confirm this. We can only deduce that our agent had therefore been able to make at least one undocumented trip to the site in recent times. The exact timeline here is impossible to fully establish, as weeks of hot, dry may have preserved the notebook outdoors in its current condition, far longer than would normally be possible. Nevertheless, the continuing maintenance of an at-least skeleton street cleaning service in this largely-commercial neighbourhood, suggests it would have been swept-up and disposed of as street refuse, had it remained where it was found, for any extended duration.

To date, our attempts to distill any coherent meaning relating to the specific site have proved largely fruitless. The legible pages of the document are largely comprised of miscellaneous ephemera, including shopping and 'to-do' lists, columns of figures relating to household budgeting, notes to relate to apparent side-projects, and what we can only assume are regrettably misguided experiments in creative writing. One double-page spread of legible notes does exist, however - which may be of significance in this increasingly mystifying case. That they represent the final extant entry  would only seem to reinforce this impression. Although not without their own internal logic, it is difficult to discern whether they constitute a general meditation on the nature of decay, or relate to specific events at the actual location under investigation. We produce them here in the interests of full disclosure, and, as ever - welcome any theories or informed contributions from outside parties, which might prove instructive to the case.

• "Decay = an artificial process that pervades all states of being (beings). Dissolution - unlike death - is not outside of existence. It perpetuates itself by virtue of being (to be postponed), in order to indefinitely postpone death and absolute disappearance."

• "(In the state of decay) the organism lives disguised in other organisms, without losing all its ontological records. The decays will not be removed and will not end in any way. On the contrary, they perpetuate."

• "In decline, any dynamic state/organism that is modified by a difference in the balance between the prospects of life (living) and death (dying), becomes disabled. One is thrown beyond death and affordance of life as existential extrema."

• "These patterns of survival/existence are characterised by simultaneous coverage and development. A decomposing body or system returns to its minimal body/contours (<0/>0) as it emerges through decay in other beings distinct from it."

• "The encapsulation and development of a decomposing entity describes an event that oscillates between abstraction (folding into a body + minimal lines) and concreteness (distinguishing from other real things)."

• "Decay = a limitropic process in which an organism gradually tends to 0 without the act of annihilation (complete disillusion into nihil). The infinite contraction/shrinkage of a decaying being = the evaporation of the qualities/attributes by which one absorbs or attains that thing - sense, experience, discernment, gift, judgement. Evaporation of access points/portals (or bypassed gateways) causes the entity to flow back into itself. When a being escapes our grasp, it appears in its realm - all through the intervention and assistance of a nothingness whose nearness and distance are infinite."

• "The disintegration that occurs in an object through the processes of decomposition is not a systemic disintegration - e.g. disintegration into parts, pieces, or atoms. Decay = non-fragmentary disintegration, in which everything remains connected to the decaying entity."

• "Decay removes the softness from the hardness, and enables the infested facility to produce a softness unknown to even the best nature. The softness of decay = precisely a production of its irony/paradoxes."

Addendum:

Whilst compiling this report, a supplementary fragment of perplexing evidence emerged in what can only now be regarded as a typically circuitous manner. In the course of office recycling activities, a member of our clerical team discovered a grease-stained paper napkin from the Subway sandwich chain, adhering to the interior of the padded evidence bag into which the aforementioned notebook had been placed. We can only assume this had been overlooked by both the laboratory technician and the lexicographer who examined the primary document, as no mention of it appears in their findings as presented to the Committee. The senior committee member who retrieved the notebook has now confirmed that the napkin in question was indeed collected at the same time and location [1.]. 

We can now reveal that the napkin bears two additional notes, roughly-scrawled with a blunt pencil, but seemingly in the same handwriting as those itemised above. They read as follows:

• "What is signif of apprnt feline cult? (local rumours abound)"

• "CAGE - MY - YOUNG - KITTENS"

[1.]: After careful consideration of the matter, it has been decided that this is purely a matter of accidental human error, as opposed to any wilful dereliction of duty (on the part of either the forensic team or the committee member). Therefore, no further disciplinary action is deemed necessary at this stage.

S.I.T.E. (Midlands Chapter): Location Re-Port (M.)1.3

 

All Images: West Leicester, September 2021

Please refer to: S.I.T.E. (Midlands Chapter): Location Re-Port (M.)1.2 (Addendum)

We are gratified to be able to reveal that our hard-pressed field agent has been able to make a return visit to the site under consideration (despite numerous competing commitments), and (in response to the queries raised by the preceding survey) has supplied the pictorial evidence included here.

We would like to take this opportunity to commend their dedication to our cause at a difficult time, and to put on record our recognition that it is only through the continuing efforts of our researchers in the field, that our work is able to continue - even in the face of the general indifference which has routinely confronted our activities.  We remain steadfast in our conviction that our work is of immense valuable and are optimistic that the significance of the new insights it may one day reveal, will be ultimately recognised by a broad spectrum of the citizenry. 

Whilst these images only serve to underline the profoundly oblique nature of the location under investigation (this being a primary cause of our engagement with it in the first instance), they do confirm the suspicions raised regarding the possibility of some unobserved activity having taken place at the premises in recent weeks.  It is now possible to confirm the presence of some form of floral display, partially visible through the curtain of the main, left hand side window.  Intriguing though this might be in itself, it is the apparent appearance of certain other, even more mysterious items, glimpsed in the same window, that may actually stimulate the greatest conjecture of all.

At this time, we can offer no definitive conclusions regarding these latest developments.  Instead, we are content to pose the following questions, in the hope (as ever) that valuable interpretations may be forthcoming from members of the society, (or other interested parties):

1.  What is the true nature of the flowers?

(a.)  Organic

(b.)  Petrochemical

(c.)  Optical-anomalous

(d.)  Fugitive

(e.)  Imaginary (Mass delusion)

(f. )  Unreliably remembered/revenant 

2.  Who/what triggered their arrival, and what does this imply re. occupation of/visitation to/possession of the site?

3.  Should the flowers prove to be organic in nature, might they be/have been renewed (given the date of the original floral observation vs. expected lifespan of fresh-cut blooms, and also noting the presence of a retail florist business nearby)?

 

4.  What might be interpolated at the intersections of glazing/floristry/veiling/focal length?

5.  What might be the likely function of the flowers?

(a.)  Frivolous display

(b.)  Status-symbolic

(c.)  Bio-investigative

(d.)  Ritual/ceremonial (including tribute and/or sacrifice)

(e.)  Still-life subject assembly

(f. )  Waste disposal (aborted)

(g.)  Composting (unsuccessful)

(h.)  Gestural (poetic/allusive/romantic)

6.  Why don't you send me flowers anymore?

7.  What might be the significance of the other items glimpsed at the margin?  Are they related in any quantifiable manner (e.g. as the result of random conjunctions, or alternatively - of some targeted surrealist intent?).

8.  What does the visible portion of apparent basketry imply?

(a.)  Barter or exchange.

(b.)  Occupational therapy.

(c.)  Some form of potlatch or cargo cult.

9.  Is it possible to identify the mysterious, peripheral figurines - and what might be deduced about their intended purpose?  Possibilities include:

(a.)  Sacred statuary

(b.)  Totemic artefacts

(c.)  Car-boot surplus

(d.)  Guardians of the portal

(e.)  Condensers of (post) irony

(f. )  Crude obscenities

S.I.T.E (Midlands Chapter): Location Re-Port (M.)1.2

 

All Images: West Leicester, August 2021

Recent routine surveys have revealed a notable physical change at the site identified in instalment (M.) 1.1. of this ongoing re-port phase.  The specific details of this change, and any picturesque associations or speculations regarding causation, are included below.

Whilst these observations were made during the first week of August 2021, and filed with Central Office promptly (within the required forty-eight hour period), it is impossible to determine the exact date of the change illustrated in the accompanying images.  A combination of competing commitments, restrictions on movement and travel (pertaining to the current, on-going emergency), and the unfortunate cuts to both funding and (as a result) available resources/staffing levels, have made daily, or even weekly, survey visits to the site impossible.

Whilst we may regret the temporal vagueness that this may engender, we remain confident that the field agent responsible for filing these observations has done their utmost to carry-out their allotted duties in the required manner, and as promptly as the difficult circumstances allow.  We have no reason to doubt their estimate of the change having occurred some time within a time-frame of approximately three to four weeks prior to the formal observation being recorded.  We are satisfied that periodic visits to the site were made over the weeks of Summer 2021, but accept that many of these were of a peremptory nature - with observational rigour being compromised due to the urgency of other, competing site visits or other distractions.

For these reasons, we are content to accept the field-agent in question's identification of the earliest possible date of any considered survey prior to the observed change as falling within a two-day period toward the latter stages of the first week of July 2021.  Whist being indicative of the paucity of accurate time-coding, which unfortunately continues to characterise many of our activities, we would point-out that our performance, in this respect at least, has shown measurable  improvements  over the eighteen-month period since our last formal audit.  As an organisation, we remain committed to making the necessary improvements recommended by the auditors at that time, wherever possible.

As can be observed in the accompanying site images, the observable change takes the form of localised impact damage, inflicted to the right-hand main window of the premises in question.  Although it appears to have been impossible to record a fully frontal image of the building's frontage, comparison with the images included in the original version of this re-port leave little room for doubt that this is the same location.  In passing, we might add that we remain broadly satisfied with the documentary quality of the images filed by this particular  field agent, whilst recommending that further training might be advantageous at some future date, (with specific regard to a deeper understanding of the relationship between objectivity and subjectivity in submitted images).

The damage identified is clearly concentrated slightly to the left of the central glass pane (front elevation).  The overall integrity of the pane, whilst compromised, is (for now) maintained - with the characteristic web-form of the heavily shattered portion, and distinct indentation at its epicentre, suggesting it to be of the laminated variety.  Whether or not this indicates a greater degree of care being invested in the premises than was previously assumed (laminated glazing being generally more expensive), remains a matter of conjecture.

We would draw viewers' attention to the sparser complex of more elongated cracks, extending with a generally diagonal orientation from upper-left to lower-right of the pane.  Whilst of clear structural importance, it is also our view that these add significantly to the overall 'beauty' of this particular visual event.  Indeed it may be the relationship between these wandering, linear fissures, and the denser network of concentric fractures from which they radiate, that stimulates the primary mode of visual tension here.  It should be noted that this is considerably intensified by the bright-sun-lit conditions in which the feature was observed/documented.  The relationship between heightened illumination, and the transparent and potentially brittle characteristics of glass, is one which rarely fails to provide arresting visual effects/implications. Certainly, we would encourage field-agents to pay particular attention to, the influence of illumination, atmosphere and climatic conditions, upon their observations, going forward.

Further reflection upon the particular visual qualities of the physical intervention at this site might also suggest that it represents both a rhizomorphic formation, and a specific moment of gathering intensity, with the connective implications of the former extending away from, but also towards, the latter - whilst remaining within a clearly-bounded frame of reference.  We are also prompted to question whether the overall network of cracks might be read as both a microcosmic charting of territory, as well as a chronologically-orientated record of events.

Whilst engaging with the dimension of temporality, we should also make some reference to the visual relationship between the visual/physical aspects of the window damage (new event), and the aged net curtain behind the glass (prior/on-going event).  Both suggest specific and highly-contrasting purposes (action vs. passivity / aggressive intrusion vs. defensive privacy), unfolding within very different time-frames.  Their interaction might be read both as an accumulation of screens, or contextual filters of potential meaning, and a layering of interference patterns (obscuring/veiling).  However, in maintaining our customary suspicion of purely binary interpretations, we might conclude that 'veiling' might itself also constitute an additional layer of meaning, in addition to its obscuring function.  In either case, it might be observed that the cumulative damage represents clearly imminent lines of flight/egress, and an obstructive stratification of possibility, at one and the same time [1.].

At this stage, it perhaps remains only to consider the motivations or desiring machines at work behind the action thus recorded on the fabric of the site.  Sadly/joyfully, a lack of specific evidence, or first-hand witness accounts mean this remains a matter of conjecture [2.].  That the damage was caused by some hard or sharp (and relatively small) projectile seems beyond reasonable doubt.  That it met the glass with considerable force, is also apparent.  Beyond this, we remain firmly within the realm of 'what if's', (although further research will continue to be carried-out, time/resources permitting).  The relative scarcity of recorded gun-crime in this neighbourhood might lead to the more likely, if prosaic, possibility that the damage was caused by the impact of a thrown stone, or fragment of masonry.  As ever, some purely random conjunction of accidental factors cannot be wholly ruled out.  Nevertheless our prevailing opinion is that the distinct quality of intention emitting from the recorded event appears too profound to ignore.  Whatever else may or may not be signified here, it does seem to suggest a definite desire to 'break-through'.

Should the latter be the case, the exact motivation still remains obscure, existing somewhere on a scale that might include any one of the following: mindless vandalism (possibly alcohol or drug-related), a mis-targeted personal attack, some petty act of direct action in protest against, for instance - the perceived iniquity of property speculation (or perhaps, the site's perennial inscrutability regarding actual function), some dispute (real or imagined) between the perpetrator{s} and the property's owners/operators, or some violent objection to those activities known to, or assumed to be carried out within the premises.  With regard to the latter, we can only refer readers back to certain of the more esoteric speculations raised within the original re-port relating to this site.

As ever, we remain open to any, or all of the possibilities outlined here, and anticipate further developments at this site with interest.  We also welcome any useful information or constructive opinions relating to this specific case, from interested parties outside of our organisation.

Addendum:

Between the writing and publication of this draft, another feature of possible significance has been drawn to our attention.  This relates to the somewhat insubstantial appearance of what appear to be floral blooms in the bottom left corner of the left-hand main window of the premises (see second image above).  From the evidence presented, it is impossible to definitively ascertain whether these are actual flowers situated within the building itself, or simply some illusory reflection from the exterior street.  Whilst it is naturally a matter of some frustration that this observation should not have been made and recorded earlier, it would be yet more remiss of us not to make note of it here.

It goes without saying that the presence of freshly-cut flowers within the building itself would engender a range of new questions regarding the possible status/purpose of the premises, as well as speculations on the activities or rituals potentially carried-out within.  Thus, we have instructed the relevant field agent to revisit the site at the earliest possible opportunity, in the hope of at least shedding more light on the exact nature of these 'phantom blooms'.  We await their report with keen anticipation.  We also note that the whole potential for photography to routinely release such phantoms, is itself a subject worthy of greater examination - far beyond the scope of this re-port process.

 

[1.]:  With regard to the issue of 'layering', and the general fluidity/solidification dichotomy, certain, more sonically focussed, members of the Interpretation Committee have also requested that we append here, a possible linkage to the polyrhythms and overlapping layers of melody or aural texture evident within many forms of contemporary (often electronic) music and sound design.  They continue to regard such avenues of investigation as being on an equal footing with the more visual/literary/philosophical facets of our research.  As a governing body, we see no reason to disagree.

[2.]:  This is, naturally, no obstruction to our activities.  Indeed, it is far from unusual to overhear members observing that not-knowing is at the core of our organisation's purpose.  

S.I.T.E. (Midlands Chapter): Location Re-Port (M.)1.1

All Images: West Leicester, November 2020

Our records show reveal that the premises in question have been under consistent observation for at least two decades.  Initial identification of the site as being one of particular interest, actually appears to date from the previous century.  Whilst no specific date can be attributed to the first discussions on the matter, anecdotal accounts point to some time in the mid 1990s.  It also appears likely that the earliest formal observations were initiated from within the premises immediately opposite - which has functioned as a bar and restaurant since that period.  As is well understood, the partially engaged - but neutrally contemplative frame of mind, typically entered into whilst gazing through a street-facing window (possibly in company, and whilst enjoying some form of refreshment), is that in which our most fruitful observations are often performed.

For the purposes of this report, we have chosen to assume a date of 15 June 1995, as the nominal starting point for this particular site falling within our remit.  If, as is certainly possible, some awareness of the location predates that point in time, it is worth noting that a degree of unreliable recall often plays a constructive part in our work, generally. In any case, it is really only the actual moment of a building or other site 'revealing itself', with sufficient subjectivity for consistent observations to commence, that really matters.  As we know, this may occur without prior warning, even where pre-existing familiarity exists.  Whilst these moments lie at the core of our practice, it is also the case that they are not always formally recorded at the time, due to  the distracting nature of spontaneous recognition.  The attachment of some arbitrary date retrospectively, thus becomes a necessity, in a surprising number of cases [1.].

Unusually, for a site under such long-term scrutiny, the images accompanying this report appear to be the only ones available, and have been collected relatively recently.  As they show - the location is subject to the kind of exclusion zone to which we have all become accustomed in the current climate.  Exactly why no earlier photographs were taken, is uncertain, and one might rue the lack of accompanying metadata which might have facilitated more accurate dating.  However, it is important to note that, as the use of digital photography was not part of our process in the era of our envisaged start-date, we would remain dependent upon the accompaniment of an accurate manual record - even were contemporaneous images available.  As it is, we must be satisfied with what little visual evidence we have in this case, and in the absence of more - be prepared to take at face value the reported impressions and accounts from memory that are available.  As noted above, the inherent subjectivity such accounts may engender, may actually prove to be of more use in many respects.

What is notable, is that the premises appear to have remained relatively unchanged, to all intents and purposes, throughout the entire span of our observations.  One can only ruminate upon the general processes of entropy which may have exerted themselves over the fabric of the building during this extended period.  A degree of wear and tear is inevitable - if only from the effects of weather and materials break-down alone, regardless of any direct human intervention which may, or may not have occurred.  In this case, however, no such human activity has ever been observed, making inertia and stasis the key characteristics of this particular location.

Furthermore - as can be seen, the building itself reveals very few clues to either its original or current function.  Whilst the frontage is typical of commercial or retail premises, with large display windows to either side of the entrance door, it offers no information regarding any specific business, or other activity, which may have been carried out within.  Identifying and/or metaphorical signage are both notable by their complete absence, and the dilapidated paintwork is of a nondescript brown colour which almost seems designed to disavow any cultural association with a specific trade or generic enterprise.  The profoundly anonymous aspect has remained intact over the entire period of our involvement with the location.

It is true that, in the past, certain speculations have arisen - based on claims of a palpably 'funereal' aura emanating from the site.  This impression is perhaps magnified by a degree of discretion suggested by the matching curtains (partially water-damaged) veiling each window.  However, it is our current opinion that the 'shop' frontage possesses neither the scale, implied dignity or vestigial grandeur one would normally associate with a typical locus of the undertaking trade.  If the presence of a prominent extractor-fan unit in the glazed panel over the door might suggest some association with food retail (or possibly catering) - no other clues are offered that might reinforce such a connection.  The glazed tiles one might occasionally observe on the frontage of such food-related outlets are notably absent here - with only featureless (faux?) granite panels occupying the spaces between windows and pavement.  Again, no specific attribution can be made from the evidence available.

As can be seen, the only remaining details worthy of note at this stage, are the prominent alarm unit (with associated window alerts), and a few miscellaneous items - dimly visible beyond the (un-curtained) upper window panes.  The alarm system (clearly post-dating the construction of the premises), affirm that this site, or at least something held within, remain of value to some individual or organisation.  Such an observation might even lead to speculations about someone or something 'hiding in plain site', if viewed in a sufficiently oblique light.  Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned visible objects offer little by way of obvious connections or any coherent narrative.  What might initially resemble some form of modestly decorative frame, appears, on closer scrutiny, to possess a somewhat more functional quality - not least once the gridded nature of its central aperture is recognised.  If it is - as appears possible, a component of some larger assembly, our attempts to identify the exact nature of this remain unsuccessful, to date. What does seem likely is that the object may be designed to permit the communication of air, heat, sound, or some other equally ethereal manifestation [2.].

Also visible in the right hand upper window, is a portion of some equally unidentifiable wooden item.  Reminiscent of some piece of dated furniture (or part of), this object betrays a mildly decorative aspect - in the form of its arched moulding and pattern of parallel, slots.  It also betrays considerable dilapidation.  First impressions have suggested this item might in fact be some item of furniture; a folding chair of some outmoded design, in particular.  More detailed study raises some doubts in respect of this - relating not least, to the modest scale of the object in question.  Such a chair (were it to be such) would be suitable only for a child, one imagines.  Certain questions have arisen regarding how these items might be supported.  The most likely explanation might be that they are positioned on some form of display shelving - the phantom shapes of which do appear visible behind the main window curtains.  This automatically feeds back into our speculations around what manner of merchandise might once have been arrayed upon them. 

However, such practical considerations have done little to stifle the line of free-associative thought which stemmed from the initial notion of the wooden object as part of a chair [3.].  in certain quarters this has even led to speculation around the premises having been - at some stage, the venue for some kind of assembly, perhaps of an occasional nature.  Despite any more coherent evidence for this (or perhaps because of it), conjecture has even arisen that such meetings might have been of some esoteric, or even occult, nature.  If such fevered imaginings are attributable simply to the palpable lack of any contradictory clues at the site, it should be remembered that this is exactly what brought it to our attention in the first place.  Consequently, we choose to keep an open mind regarding such matters, at least for the purposes of this report. 

Finally, specific mention should also be made of the remaining group of items visible through the upper windows to the left-hand-side of the frontage.  Although most clearly discernible in visual terms, these are also the hardest to identify.  Seemingly comprising four stacks of strangely interlocking, scalloped elements of ring-like formation - they resemble nothing that has previously been observed at any other site.  That the objects appear to be constructed of card (or perhaps some plastic material), suggests the possibility of their being some form of reinforced, self-assembly packaging material.  Exactly for what, however - remains a mystery [4.].  One alternative suggestion (rom the same source as the 'esoteric assembly' theory, alluded to above), is that these almost 'crown-like' items might constitute a variety of ritual headgear associated with such a congregation.

Conclusion:

Whatever the real conditions or circumstances relating to this site may be, there can be little doubt it represents one of the most intriguing in our current catalogue.  it is our recommendation that the premises remain under observation - without time-limit, and that any significant findings or theories relating to it, be included in future reports.  What does seem undeniable, is its status as a distinct lacuna within the commercial, recreational, or psychic activity of the surrounding street.  as such, it clearly has the potential to represent some portal or egress - of exactly the kind to which our organisation has chosen to identify and exploit.   

[1.]:  Current thinking on the subject suggests that, in many cases, this may actually be a strength - rather than mere evidence of sloppy record-keeping.  Certainly - as is generally now recognised, an acceptance of the flexible and relative (as opposed to reductively linear) nature of time is key to our activities.  In this context, the recording of specific dates, whilst nominally instructive, may also be regarded as something akin to dropping sticks into a flowing stream, (or perhaps - marbles onto a blanket).

[2.]:  Such oblique speculations are, it goes without stating, to be encouraged wherever deemed appropriate.  We welcome any future attempts to join such dots as may emerge from continued scrutiny of this site.  Any such theories - deemed to lie within the stated parameters of our wider project, will be appended to future drafts of this report.

[3.]:  It seems pertinent to remind ourselves here, that (often mistaken) first impressions (and the often highly fictional narratives they may provoke), are as important an aspect of our work (if not more so), as more considered research - carried out in a less subjective frame of mind.  Clearly, we should remain vigilant to the danger of our activities from degraded by mere 'facts', whenever possible.

[4.]:  Suggestions (however fanciful), are obviously invited.