| A few years ago I visited Geneva and was inspired by its mysterious atmosphere and well-dressed inhabitants. On every street corner there seemed to be a suspicious looking man wearing a raincoat and trilby, apparently talking into a concealed device. The immaculate yet oblique shop facades I passed would often have little more in them than perhaps a monocle, a precious stone and a few pieces of broken fob watch draped over beautiful blue velvet - as if to say "we know what goes on in here and you, my friend, do not". Bus journeys through technology parks and hospital grounds would terminate in strange towns that appeared deserted at first glance, but gave the impression that all the action continued behind one when the corner was turned.
It was here that the idea for The Master of Complications was born. On the banks of Lake Geneva stand some beautiful old buildings, illuminated at night by vast neon signs. One of the signs advertised the premises of "Franck Muller - The Master of Complications".
Being no expert on watchmaking I was intrigued to know who this man was and what he did. After much deliberation my friends and I decided that he was a kindly and worldly-wise gentleman who would attempt to assist anyone in need, to the best of his abilities. However Herr Muller would find it difficult to keep anything simple and more often than not his assistance only serves to waste time, money, energy and valuable resources. We enjoyed the scenarios that we came up with and Herr Muller kept us all amused for the rest of the holiday. So when I got home I decided to do something with this character and started sketching and writing whenever I could find the time.
I spent the next couple of years working as a lorry driver while I built my design business, and always made sure I had my sketchbook handy for the times when I was waiting to unload or bedding down in the cab for an overnight stint. The stories shown on this page are scans from the original hurried scribbles; drawings that were often punctuated with having to deliver fourteen pallets of binbags to Aldi, or ten tonnes of spray-tan to Home Bargains.
I ended up with around seven or eight stories I was happy with, but never really got round to doing anything with them until I nervously showed the sketchbook to some friends. One of whom, Zoë Byrne, took a particular interest and we decided to collaborate on a "Master of Complications" project. I wanted to create more of a back-story for my characters and I also needed to try and recreate the mysterious and sinister atmosphere for the book that I had felt in Switzerland. We decided to merge fact with fiction and blur the boundaries between the two, to the point where even we were slightly confused about what was real and what was not.
Zoë took photographs of unusual antique objects, quirky transport and obsolete technology and I incorporated these items into my illustrations. I then reworked some of the stories to include items and characters that were real (they must be real - we have photographic evidence) which served to deepen the intrigue and hopefully confuse the reader.
The Master of Complications is available at £15.00 as a limited edition, signed book and comes in its own brown paper & string giftwrapping. It has provided the inspiration for a number of exhibitions, including Le Boulevard de Banni at Common in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
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