Syd Barrett's photocopier auction - more details
Written by Matt   
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Syd Barrett's photocopier
Syd Barrett's photocopier - signed manual

UPDATE, July 27th: The photocopier, signed manual, and paperwork sold for a very healthy £390.

Further to our story back on Friday (July 17th) regarding the late Roger ("Syd") Barrett's Brother desktop photocopier - which with just over three days left is attracting eager bidding on eBay - we have more detail on this for you.

The auction (at time of writing, standing at £240) is to help raise money for the charity set up last year by his sister, Rosemary Breen. Complete with the instruction manual, signed by Barrett, the photocopier has kindly been donated to the Syd Barrett Fund (the new name for the Syd Barrett Trust) by Rosemary and Paul Breen themselves. You can view the item on eBay here, and make sure you also visit www.Syd-Barrett-Trust.org.uk.

After he returned to Cambridgeshire in the early eighties, Barrett focused his interests on art and photography. The photocopier was used to copy notes he wrote for an unpublished book on the history of art, as well as his own photographs. He would often sign his name on his possessions as a mark of ownership, hence why the instruction book is transformed from a simple document to an item of genuine interest.

The Syd Barrett Fund was set up by Rosemary Breen to support the work of Escape Artists, a socially inclusive arts company which works in the mental health sector.

Rosemary says of her decision to create the fund: “it seemed to me that so many people held his memory with such affection, I felt that they would, as I would, value the opportunity to put that affection to good use. There seemed to be such love for him free in the air, I thought let's do something useful with it.

“My main motivation is, I'm very aware of how lonely Syd was because he was different, especially in the latter years in Cambridge after the Floyd. I would like to think that people can get companionship and accepted into society, even if it's only in a group of like-minded people. I think the loneliness he felt was just dreadful, and if we could stop that, or at least help some people from feeling that loneliness because they're different, then I would feel we've achieved something.”

Escape Artists work across sectors and art forms with homeless people, mental health service users, young people at risk, prisoners and other disadvantaged groups: providing structured routes into further education, training and employment.

In March £12,600 was raised from the sale of a collection of original drawings created by Barrett in the mid 60s, just before the formation of Pink Floyd. Further funds have been raised through auctions of his belongings, and a series of arts events in his memory titled The City Wakes.

Bidding for this unique item on eBay closes on Sunday July 26th at 11:29am BST.