Instructions for the Apocalypse

Instructions for the Apocalypse is a fictional account of Gareth Gray's final hours, which he recorded for his daughter. The diatribe, which outlines the confluence of crises leading to the abrupt halt of Western civilization, is accompanied with old family album photographs. This collaborative fiction project was endeavored by photographer Tim Williams and writer Rod Sweet, with support from the Arts Council of Wales. When Williams found a remarkable collection of glass-plate negatives he wanted to use them in a way that stripped away the cliches that cloud the perceptions of period photography. Enlisting the help of Sweet, the two created this book, which infuses text with the photography and assorted graphic treatments. The result is an enthralling story of madness, but it is also a visual survey of the last two centuries - from war and industrialization to technology's acceleration - demonstrating how history cannot be escaped, it can only be continued.