A postcard collection sparks a remarkable artist’s engagement with a small French town, revealing shared histories and contemporary voices.

Nothing remained unchanged but the clouds by Alan J. Ward is an artist book in the fullest sense: a work conceived, shaped, and authored through artistic practice. Developed through sustained collaboration with the community of Grandpré in the French Ardennes, the book traces stories held within German WWI postcards and transforms them into a living archive of memory, material culture, and shared authorship.

The launch will take the form of an illustrated conversation moderated by an arts commissioner familiar with Ward’s practice. Ward will be joined by a small panel of academic, artistic, and language collaborators, alongside voices from Grandpré. Together, the discussion will weave local histories with contemporary perspectives, while reanimating the enduring connection between Manchester and Charleville-Mézières, the departmental capital.

With the support of Alliance Française Manchester, a special display of selected artefacts from Archives+ and the North West Film Archive has been assembled specifically for the evening. These materials document the shared histories between Manchester and the Ardennes, and sit alongside the themes explored in the book.

The evening will conclude with a question-and-answer session, offering the audience an opportunity to engage directly with the panel, followed by the chance to purchase signed, discounted copies of the artist book.