My mum’s memory of my trip to the dentist in 1981 – one part of The Horizon Object

Jane Topping: Apparently that’s recording.

Senga Topping: Ok.

JT: So just ignore it [laughs]. So, em, what do you remember about that day, or do you remember the run up to it, cos maybe there’s lots of stuff that I don’t know about?

ST: I don’t remember anything about the run up to it.

JT: Right, ok.

ST: I remember you had on a wee red and navy striped top.

JT: Uh huh.

ST: And your hair was in bunches.

JT: Uh huh.

ST: I remember we were inside and things were happening round about. And the film people wanted us to back out cos there was another wee girl there,

JT: Uh huh.

ST: as well, and we had to come back in, but don’t look at the cameras,

JT: Uh huh

ST: and we went out up the stairs and turned to go in the door and you looked at the cameras.

[Both Laugh]

Which was a natural thing to do, I mean if you’re going one way then you look the other way. Eh, so we all had to back out again, climb up the stairs and go in without looking at the camera.

JT: Uh huh.

ST: And that’s really all I remember about it. I know that Uncle Peter was recording it for us because we didn’t have a recorder. But I can’t remember anything…

JT: No. Do you remember if there was, eh, so he must have asked permission and all that, of you guys?

ST: Yes. He would do. Ah huh. I don’t remember that.

JT: No.

ST: No.

JT: And I remember that there was an older girl, who I thought was about fourteen but she could have been younger. And there was a younger boy and all three of us were being hypnotized.

ST: I couldn’t have told you all three were being hypnotized, and I thought there was just two of you, I don’t remember.

JT: Maybe there was just two. And I remember that, I thought at the end once it was all finished and they asked us to do some shots of us arriving and it was at the end I thought that was cheating.

ST: Mm hum. Mm hum

JT: Yeah, I do… I don’t remember going up the steps. I thought I remembered walking along the street, you know like towards the Spar, because you go in the back door of that dentist’s don’t you?

ST: Which I think was, yes, it was the back door. There’s a garden at the side.

JT: So, you weren’t in the room?

ST: No. No. I was just in the Waiting Room. I was just there to escort you there and back home again.

[Both laugh]

JT: And do remember anything I said about it?

ST: Not a thing.

JT: Or do you think, was I different when I came out? Was I hypnotized did you think?

ST: I can’t remember anything different. I can’t remember being upset or anything, or wondering how you were doing, or… Did you get sweeties after it? You normally did.

JT: I know. I don’t remember getting sweeties.