Simon Warren's ink blot test

While I think about how to respond to Simon, my mind wanders.  Is Simon now out of shirt cardboard and is he divesting himself of his possesions, beginning with those that fit the A4 format, trimming his hankies in measured precision?

The absense of words or imagery,the pale stain under the sewn-on stamp and the choice of white...

Meanwhile Diane Keys http://dianekeys.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/first-ever-trashpo-inkblot-tests-etc.html is making her own version of ink blots.

Guido Vermeulen's Faces of Universal Tragedies 7

Guido's original envelope arrived in one of those we're sorry envelopes.  It was not damaged, I guess some cautious postal clerk wanted to make sure this parcel made it in its totality - I guess the ink made the envelope feel a bit delicate. 

 A card 'ON FIRE" based on reflections by Gaston Bachelard (France) from R Budha Thoki (Nepal) and Guido Vermeulen (Belgium).  On the back of Guido's book 7 I find this 'Rant' (his word not mine) from Guido:

Universal tragedies: Official His-storyis written b the conquerors and victors; not by the defeated ones of victims.  Worse even: the victims become the bad guys; they are equal to the tormentors or the reason for all the drudgery; they are the real villains to justify genocide.

I have selected a few of the wonderful faces from Guido's book 7.

There are more questions than answers, always. 

L'ouverture n'est pas toujours si simple que cela!

Nero discovers the poetics of space, tribute to Gaston Bachelard

We are surrounded by the unknown, more than we know...

 Below is a list of the faces illustrations.

Tofu is having a recycled beer packaging exhibition in San Francisco!

You will be able to see Tofu's work at CITY BEER
1168 Folsom St
San Francisco
October 8-Nov 3, 2013
The opening will be Thrusday October 10th from 6-9
To contact Tofu go to tofu art.com!

Simon Warren is making a version of the trash quilt!

Simon has sent me A4 card instalments for quite some time now.  These are punctuated by responses (white envelopes with letters inside) to the occasional replies I send.  I mean to respond more often but unlike Simon I need days to reply.

Interpretation of mail art is a curious thing because unless the dialogue goes back and forth and gets refined, the recipient 'owns' the interpretation.  Strange to think that my meaning might be nothing like Simon's meaning and my response may be irrelevant to the initial response. So when I say Simon is making his own take on the TRASH QUILT, I may be barking up the wrong tree entirely. Still.

Simon has a way of inspiring new work from me and no. 106 (top) was the catalyst for a fusepo response (fused plastic trash quilt) that seemed to arrive from somewhere else.

In the end I did not send Simon the original as not ready to part with it, but the version I sent him is differently inspiring (to me). 

Later that day, I visited facebook to upload some work by other mail artists to the IUOMA site and was delighted to see that Simon had inspired another artist /mail artist / poet, Theresa Williams. I read on her facebook page that:

The poem "torch" has just been nominated for BEST OF THE NET.http://districtlit.com/post/39243739047/poems-by-theresa-williamshttp://districtlit.com/post/39243739047/poems-by-theresa-williams

Read it, it is wonderful!

While I was making my piece in response to Simon, I wondered about why certain people help us to find what we want to say. 

Aristide sends the stuff of life: Encardted DNA

   

                     

More beautiful work from Aristide!  I am reminded in a personal message that I have not yet sent 'my best mail art'.  I have finally sent something, although what is best? 

I love the way this and the other mail I have recieved from Aristide 3108 is about the essence of life.  The organic nature of the pieces, the way the ideas spill out and hint at meaning, there for me to take, understand and respond to. I get the sense that Aristide finds a moment in the vortex of life to carve out a contempletive space.  I have not found the equivalent, this autumn yet, but if and when I do I hope to find a voice as strong and sure as Aristide's. Love this beautiful work!

Jim SantAmour takes me to my turntable days.

Jim's card arrived Saturday.  I love a thick postcard! Hang the expense. That's the first thing I thought as I weighed Jim's card in my hand.

The next thing I notice is that those cool circles are actually a real proof sheet strip of a turntable! And Jim has me hook line and sinker! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkEeNpWMvgk Everything about this card takes me back to a particulalry fun and feckless period of my life. The KZSU record room was amazingly well-stocked and I spent as much time as I could in there listening.  One of the grad students in the art department found me fun to rib and one day he had festooned my door with a particularly fay 45. With Jim's card I am there.  I was a TA in the darkroom, and I still miss the smell of the trays as I fiddle around in photoshop.

I love the visual impact of this card.  I have this idea to match people up based on their mail art style, some of the matches may be a tangential, but there's an Art lecturer in Falmouth whose work I think you'd like. I may launch that project soon with you as my guinea pig.

And finally, 'Bad Becky'.  Sometimes you wonder if anyone really listens to the stuff you post and this is proof positive that Jim did.  Thanks so much.

 But Jim, did you mean this to be a memory?  It certainly brought them back for me!

PS And I have one more entry to the Mobma contest but I still need to take the pic.  It's definately a contender...

A Poem For Rebecca (from Vizma Bruns)

A Sentimental circus

sado
al battle-
scatter
in
man
her ma-

per
so close
the pho-

acci-
per-in
di-
Charles

ef
stew-

mental cus

What clues lie in the washing-machine-pulped-letter Vizma has affixed under the cellophane window?
I'm sure the winking man with stubble knows.

This lettter makes me homesick for the Castro.
Equal! Justice! Freedom! FOREVER!

No need to be sorry Viz, I love the chaos and I wouldn't have mistaken this for BAD ART, and besides, I'm not the judge.

Lots of fun and thoroughly enjoyed.  Thanks Viz.