Fonds GB 3184 JC - Joy Cuff Archive

Identity area

Reference code

GB 3184 JC

Title

Joy Cuff Archive

Date(s)

  • 1963-2001 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

7 boxes

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

Traditionally, if a Fellow is still a member of the Society when they die they received a formal, Society obituary which was published in one of the Society's serial publications. These obituaries have not been collated as they are easily retrievable in their published form. Instead this series consists of externally published obituaries or orders of service for Fellows and some members of staff which were mostly collected from the 1990s by Library staff. There is some material which is older, found loose among the backlog of other material and which has been added for ease of use.

It should be noted that the series will include ex members of the Society who resigned their Fellowship at some point before their death, but were kept for informational reasons.

Archival history

Joy Cuff [nee Seddon] was born in 1944. She left school at the age of 16 to attend Kingston School of Art, 1960-1964. Studying for a National Diploma in Design, her specialism was painting.

Her first television job was in 1964 as a sculptor for AP Films modelling the puppet heads for characters in episodes of the Thunderbirds, most of which were baddies.

Also in 1964 Joy worked on She, a Hammer Films production where she modelled a medallion.

In 1966 Joy produced a series of illustrations for Fahrenheit 451. She then worked on Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey during 1966-1967. Employed as Special Effects Department Assistant she produced moonscape table-top models for the film and worked with Bob Cuff on a model matte shot.
1967-1970 Joy was part of Abacus Productions as Assistant to the Art Director Bob Cuff where she worked on miniature sets, and painted backings for TV Advertising and Features.

During this period, 1967, she also worked on Hammer Films' Vengeance of She as a sculptor, model designer and builder. And was a matte painter, model maker and artist on Mackenna's Gold, 1967-1969.
In 1969 she married Bob Cuff's son, Paul.

In the years 1971-1988 Joy worked on a number of films including Family Life, Like Other People, Elizabethans Image, and The Rumanian Brancusi, designing and laying out the title sequences. She also designed and produced camera-ready artwork for miniature sets and completed illustrations and paintings for features, commercial advertising companies, and theatre.

1988-1989 she worked alongside Bob Cuff to produce matte paintings for The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and Erik the Viking.

Joy continues to paint oil and watercolour commissions for portraits to the present day.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

The material has been in the possession of Joy Cuff. It was donated to the University of the Arts in March 2008. Further accruals since 2008.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The material mainly consists of items created and acquired during the course of Joy's work on film and television productions. These include the Thunderbirds television series, She, Fahrenheit 451, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Vengeance of She, Mackenna's Gold, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and Erik the Viking. The series relating to 2001: A Space Odyssey is the most extensive.

A smaller number of personal items, and later additions about the projects and people she worked with are included.

The material takes the form of notebooks and sketchbooks, photographic material, film frames, press cuttings, artists equipment, and props.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

Further accruals are expected.

System of arrangement

The material has been arranged into two series.
The first is Personal Items which includes personal work, and items unrelated to her direct involvement in the film and television projects.
The second series, Film and Television Work, contains items contemporary to the production and release of the show or feature, and have been further split into chronological series for the different productions Joy worked on.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Notes area

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

GB 3184 University of the Arts London: University Archives and Special Collections

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Final

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Created 2012

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

  • Latin

Sources

Accession area